UC-NRLF 


SB    2T5    Tflfl 


JHE  HOMEWORK 

D.L.MOODY 


IN   MEMORIAM 
BERNARD  MOSES 


THE  HOME  WORK 


■OF- 


D.  Ia.  MOODY, 


THE    SCHOOL    FOR    YOUNG    MEN,  THE    COLLEGE    FOR 

YOUNG  LADIES,  THE  SUMMER  SCHOOL  FOR 

BIBLE  TEACHING. 


TOGETHER  WITH   MR.    MOODY  S 


Pointed,  Practical  and  Helpful  Talks. 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 


FLEMING  H.  RSVELL, 

CHICAGO:  NEW  YORK: 

148-150  Madison  Street.  148-150  Nassau  Street. 


'Z7?7 


COPYRIGHT,    1886,   BY 
FLEMING    H.    REVELL. 

g**AKD  WUH 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE. 


A  larger  work  than  the  present  volume,  of  which 
this  is  an  abridgement,  may  be  had  of  the  publisher. 
The  larger  volume  contains  in  addition  to  the  con- 
tents ot  this  work  a  number  of  addresses  by  eminent 
pastors  and  other  Bible  scholars  upon  practical 
topics,  all  given  at  Mr.  Moody's  summer  gather- 
ings. The  title  of  the  larger  work  is  D.  L.  Moody 
at  Home,  price  $1.00. 


887816 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Northfield  and  its  Schools >. 9 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Northfield  Summer  Gatherings 28 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Convention  Talk 41 

CHAPTER  IV. 
More  about  Personal  Work ■•••••••  55 

CHAPTER  V. 
Prayer  Meetings  and  other  Topics 76 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Mr.  Moody's  Bible  Nuggets 87 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  Call  to  Work 91 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Enduement  for  Service 97 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Gems  of  Thought  from  Northfield  Mines 104 


CHAPTER  I. 

NORTHFIELD   AND   ITS  SCHOOLS. 

A  Charming  Village— The  Old  Moody  Homestead— Mr.  Moody's 
Residence— Origin  of  His  Educational  Work— Its  Magical  De- 
velopment— Description  of  the  Two  Institutions — Faith  Realized 
in  Brick  and  Stone — Practical  Courses  of  Study— Hives  of  Cheer- 
ful Industry — Special  Preparation  for  Christian  Service. 

John  Wesley  used  to  say,  "  The  world  is  my  parish." 
If  there  is  any  man  at  the  present  day  who  is  entitled  to 
utter  the  same  words  in  their  most  literal  sense,  that 
man  is  D wight  L.  Moody.  When,  in  1872,  Mr.  Moody,  ac- 
companied by  Mr.  Sankey,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  begin 
that  wonderful  campaign  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
which  was  to  render  their  names  famous  throughout  the 
civilized  globe  and  mark  an  epoch  in  modern  evangel- 
ism, it  was  probably  with  the  expectation  that  they 
would  return  to  Chicago  and  resume  their  customary 
work.  But  the  moment  they  reached  America  it  be- 
came evident  that  henceforth  they  could  have  no  abid- 
ing city  on  earth,  and  that  the  life  before  them  must  be 
the  itinerant  activity  of  evangelists  at  large.  In  these 
circumstances  it  was  natural  that  Mr.  Moody's  thoughts 
should  turn  to  the  place  of  his  birth  and  the  home  of  his 
youth.  Somewhere  he  must  retire  now  and  again  for  a 
brief  respite  from  his  all  but  incessant  labors.  Some- 
where he  must  provide  a  shelter  for  his  family,  and  ful- 
fil as  best  he  could  the  duties  of  a  husband  and  father. 
And  it  is  a  coincidence  which  has  been  deemed  remark- 
able by  not  a  few,  that  if  he  had  searched  the  whole  Con- 
1*  (9) 


IO  D.   L.   MOODY  AT   HOME. 

tinent  for  a  locality  perfectly  adapted'to  these  purposes, 
and  to  the  many  others  which  have  since  arisen,  he  could 
not  possibly  have  found  a  place  combining  so  many  ad- 
vantages as  the  spot  which  it  pleased  God  should  afford 
his  first  environment. 

Northfield  is  a  typical  New  England  village  at  the 
point  of  junction  of  three  States — Massachusetts,  New 
Hampshire,  and  Vermont.  A  glance  at  the  map  will 
show  that  at  this  point  the  Connecticut  River  bisects  a 
portion  of  Massachusetts  and  separates  Vermont  from 
New  Hampshire.  Along  the  east  bank  of  the  river  and 
south  of  the  State-line,  lies  the  ancient  settlement  of 
Northfield,  bordering  the  stream  for  more  than  a  mile 
and  half-hid  among  giant  elms.  The  region  has  been 
under  cultivation  not  far  from  two  hundred  years.  The 
first  settlers  were  harassed  by  hostile  Indians.  The  trail 
of  the  savages  ran  along  the  river,  and  for  a  long  period 
the  pioneer  farmers  dwelt  among  the  mountains,  where 
the  oldest  houses  are  still  to  be  found.  Increasing  tran- 
quillity led  to  the  formation  of  the  present  village.  In 
Jonathan  Edwards'  account  of  the  great  revival  center- 
ing at  Northampton  in  1733,  Northfield  is  included 
among  the  places  affected.  Like  most  New  England 
hamlets,  it  reached  the  limit  of  its  growth  about  fifty 
years  ago,  and  since  then  there  has  been  little  change. 
Meanwhile,  the  trees  which  line  the  long,  wide  avenue  in 
double  rows  on  each  side  have  attained  a  towering 
height  and  prodigious  girth,  and  in  the  most  ardent 
summer  days  they  cast  over  the  grassy  meads  an  ample 
shade.  The  quaint  white  houses  stand  some  distance 
from  the  road  and  from  each  other,  and  the  spacious 
grounds  around  them  are  in  many  cases  neatly  mown 
and  adorned  with  beds  of  flowers.  Crossing  the  avenue 
are  several  country  roads,  pursuing  any  of  which,  a  few 
minutes'  walk  will  lead  the  city-stained  stranger  into 


NORTHFIELD  AND   ITS  SCHOOLS.  II 

leafy  nooks  and  fairy  dells  as  sequestered  and  primeval 
as  his  heart  can  desire. 

The  old  homestead  which  was  Mr.  Moody's  birth 
place  is  still  occupied  by  his  mother.  The  house  fronts 
a  country  road  which,  branching  from  the  main  street, 
winds  in  an  easterly  direction  up  the  hill-side  toward  a 
mountainous  district.  It  is  a  plain  old  farm-house,  look- 
ing out  upon  orchards  and  meadows,  and  containing  in 
its  door-yard  a  fine  tree  under  which  Mr.  Moody  is  said 
to  have  thought  out  some  of  his  most  useful  sermons 
Mrs.  Betsy  Moody  is  now  (1886)  in  her  eighty-second 
year,  yet  her  activity,  mental  and  physical,  is  hardly 
abated.  She  does  most  of  her  own  housework,  and 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  relinquish  her  daily  tasks. 
"  If  I  gave  up  work,"  she  says,  "  I  might  as  well  lie  down 
and  die."  It  is  evident  that  from  her  much  of  the  untir- 
ing energy  of  the  evangelist  is  derived,  though  she  told 
the  writer  once  in  conversation  that  while  her  husband 
lived  he  was  just  as  hard  a  worker  as  she  was.  She  is  a 
great  reader,  and  by  means  of  several  newspapers  regu- 
larly taken,  is  at  all  times  thoroughly  informed  upon 
the  events  of  the  day.  She  is  now  a  devout  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  having  with  the  whole 
family  abandoned  the  Unitarian  for  the  orthodox  faith. 
Proud  as  she  must  be  of  her  honored  son,  that  son  is  if 
possible  even  more  proud  of  his  venerated  mother.  At 
the  celebration  of  her  eightieth  birthday,  loving  friends 
arranged  conspicuously  the  motto  :  "  Her  children  arise 
up  and  call  her  blessed." 

When  Mr.  Moody  decided  to  establish  his  household 
in  Northfield,  he  purchased,  for  about  $3,000,  a  plain  but 
roomy  frame  house,  with  grounds,  at  the  north  end  of 
the  town,  near  his  mother's  house.  The  building  fronts 
upon  the  main  road,  and  is  rather  too  near  it  for  com- 
fort or  privacy.     Mr.  Moody  bought  it  only  because  it 


12  D.  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

was  available  at  the  time,  and  says  that  if  he  were  to 
build  to  suit  himself  he  would  rather  be  situated  on  the 
hill  some  distance  from  the  dust  and  publicity  of  the 
roadway.  To  the  structure  as  he  found  it,  he  has  made 
additions  from  time  to  time  as  they  were  required.  His 
study  is  on  the  first  floor  near  the  entrance.  A  glance 
at  his  library  confirms  the  impression  that  he  is  a  man 
of  one  book.  The  only  books  of  value  to  him  are  the 
Bible  and  whatever  publications  will  help  him  to  under- 
stand it  better.  A  fine  clock  shown  to  visitors  was  sent 
to  him  by  a  lady  in  England  who  was  relieved  and  en- 
couraged on  the  question  of  Christian  continuance  by 
the  illustration  of  the  pendulum.  Everything  about  the 
house  is  characterized  by  simplicity  and  regard  for  the 
conditions  of  effective  work. 

In  the  heart  of  the  town  stands  the  commodious  resi- 
dence of  Dr.  Pentecost,  of  Brooklyn,  while  still  farther 
south  can  be  found  the  modest  white  cottage  which  Mr. 
Sankey  has  recently  purchased  for  the  purposes  of  a 
summer  home. 

No  sooner  was  Mr.  Moody  fairly  domiciled  in  North- 
field  than  he  observed  the  absence  of  adequate  educa- 
tional facilities  for  the  neighborhood.  Having  always 
lamented  the  deficiencies  of  his  own  early  education,  he 
was  unable  to  see  the  young  people  of  the  village  and 
vicinity  growing  up  under  similar  disadvantages  with- 
out considering  whether  it  would  not  be  within  his 
power  to  improve  their  opportunities.  There  were  many 
farmers'  daughters  who  were  qualified  by  intelligence 
and  earnest  industry  to  fill  positions  of  the  highest  use- 
fulness if  their  talents  were  properly  developed,  but 
who  had  no  prospect  whatever  of  securing  a  suitable 
education.  Their  fathers,  eking  a  scanty  living  from 
the  rocky  and  reluctant  soil,  could  not  send  them  to  any 
of  the  excellent  institutions  already  established  for  the 


NORTHFIELD  AND   ITS   SCHOOLS.  1 3 

higher  education  of  young  women,  because  the  expense, 
moderate  indeed  to  persons  in  easy  circumstances,  was 
entirely  beyond  their  reach.  Touched  to  the  heart  by 
an  acquaintance  with  these  facts,  and  well  aware  of  the 
demand  for  trained  Christian  women  as  city  mission- 
aries, and  as  foreign  missionaries,  Mr.  Moody  began  to 
devise  liberal  things.  At  the  outset,  however,  he  never 
dreamed  of  the  dimensions  to  which  the  work  he  was 
thus  led  to  initiate  was  destined  to  attain.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  town  stands  an  old  frame  hotel,  which  is  now 
used  partly  as  a  tenement-house.  Thought  Mr.  Moody 
to  himself  :  "  If  I  could  only  buy  that  building  and  turn 
it  into  a  school,  that  is  just  about  what  I  should  like." 
Nothing  larger  than  that  had  yet  entered  his  mind.  But 
the  old  hotel  was  not  for  sale,  and  he  was  obliged  to  turn 
his  attention  elsewhere. 

NORTHFIELD   SEMINARY   FOR   YOUNG   LADIES. 

Like  Topsy  in  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  say  exactly  when  and  where  the  Northfield 
Seminary  was  born.  It  just  grew.  When  the  idea  be- 
gan to  take  form  in  Mr.  Moody's  mind,  he  constructed 
a  small  addition  to  his  own  house,  with  rooms  for  eight 
girls;  and  when  twenty  girls  had  been  admitted  into 
these  cramped  quarters,  with  others  besieging  the  house 
for  accommodation,  he  built  a  small  brick  dormitory  and 
class-room  on  the  other  side  of  the  street.  This  too 
soon  became  overcrowded;  and  it  was  evident  that 
what  had  been  done  was  but  an  index  to  what  ought  to 
be  done.  While  Mr.  Moody  was  feeling  his  way  toward 
"room  and  verge  enough,"  it  was  so  ordered  in  the 
good  providence  of  God  that  a  large  hill-side  farm  ad- 
joining his  own  and  his  mother's  holdings  to  the  north 
could  be  purchased  for  a  reasonable  amount.  The  land 
was  bought,  and  plans  were  outlined  looking  to  the 


14  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

erection  of  a  building  of  considerable  size.  About  that 
time  Mr.  Moody  was  joined  by  a  most  sympathetic  and 
efficient  coadjutor.  This  was  Mr.  H.  N.  F.  Marshall,  a 
retired  Boston  merchant,  who,  having  been  led  to  conse- 
crate himself  and  all  his  property  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  and  feeling  a  strong  personal  attachment  toward 
the  evangelist,  to  whom  he  was  a  spiritual  debtor,  found 
that  no  occupation  could  be  more  congenial  than  to  as- 
sist the  educational  schemes  of  his  friend.  For  this 
purpose  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Northfield;  and 
having  had  large  experience  in  supervising  the  construc- 
tion of  buildings,  and  managing  property,  he  soon 
found  himself  in  his  element. 

In  1879  the  handsome  brick  building,  now  known  as 
East  Hall,  was  erected.  Its  situation  is  more  command- 
ing than  that  of  any  of  the  subsequent  structures. 
From  the  eminence  on  which  it  stands  the  view  to  the 
west  and  north  is  superb.  The  foreground  is  the  east- 
ern slope  of  the  Connecticut  valley.  The  river  itself 
gleams  at  intervals  throughout  many  miles  of  its  wind- 
ing course.  The  western  slope  of  the  valley,  partly 
wooded,  rises  gently,  and  culminates  in  a  range  of 
verdure-crowned  hills.  In  the  direction  of  Vermont 
the  range  of  vision  is  almost  unlimited.  The  color  of 
the  landscape  changes  gradually  from  bright  green  to 
pale  and  still  paler  blue,  till  at  last  the  actual  horizon 
becomes  indistinguishable  as  mountain  peaks  melt  into 
hazy  sky.  J^ast  Hall  cost  about  $30,000,  and  was  de- 
signed as  a  dormitory.  It  is  capable  of  accommodating 
sixty  students.  The  smaller  brick  building  near  Mr. 
Moody's  house  was  for  some  time  used  in  connection 
with  it  as  a  recitation  hall.  A  large  dwelling-house 
on  the  roadside  farther  north,  was  remodelled  and 
turned  into  an  additional  dormitory,  and  named  Bonar 
Hall,  after  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bonar,  of  Glasgow.    Its  capacity 


NORTHFIELD   AND   ITS  SCHOOLS.  1 5 

was  about  forty  students.  This  building  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  March,  1886.  In  1881  Mr.  Moody  was  over- 
whelmed with  applications  for  admission  to  the  Semi- 
nary, and  at  the  same  time  realized  the  economic 
advantage  of  conducting  its  operations  upon  a  larger 
scale.  The  expense  to  the  institution  for  each  student 
was  then  about  $160  a  year,  while  he  estimated  that  with 
another  large  dormitory,  the  cost  could  be  considerably 
reduced.  The  charge  for  board  and  tuition  has  always 
been  $100,  the  balance  being  made  up  by  benevolent 
contributions.  Merely  mentioning  the  project  to  a  few 
friends,  he  went  to  England,  and  was  absent,  except  at  va- 
cation intervals,  for  about  three  years.  In  the  interim  the 
residuary  legatees  of  the  Marquand  estate,doubtless  chief- 
ly through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  D.  W.  McWilliams, 
of  Brooklyn,  one  of  their  number,  undertook  the  erection 
of  the  much-needed  dormitory.  In  1884  the  building 
was  completed,  at  a  cost  of  about  $60,000.  Its  site  is  to 
the  northwest  of  East  Hall,  somewhat  nearer  the  road. 
In  appearance  it  is  handsome  and  substantial.  The 
material  is  dark  red  brick,  with  granite  trimmings.  The 
style  is  a  modification  of  the  Queen  Anne,  with  the 
close-cut  eaves,  low  ceilings,  and  small-paned  windows 
of  that  order,  combined  with  many  modern  features. 
The  building  is  used  entirely  as  a  dormitory,  and  is 
capable  of  accommodating  eighty  students,  with  office, 
drawing-room,  dining-hall,  etc.  About  midway  between 
Marquand  Hall  and  East  Hall  stands  a  handsome  build- 
ing of  Northfield  granite,  called  Recitation  Hall,  or 
more  popularly,  on  account  of  its  gray  material,  Stone 
Hall.  It  was  completed  in  1885,  and  is  intended  to 
serve  as  the  recitation  hall  of  the  Seminary.  The  cost 
of  this  building,  like  the  recitation  hall  at  Mount 
Hermon,  was  borne  by  the  hymn-book  fund.  Mr.  Moody 
says,  when  pointing  to  either  structure,  "  Mr.   Sankey 


l6  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

sang  that  building  up."  Stone  Hall  is  very  massive- 
looking,  and  somewhat  after  the  Egyptian  order.  The 
first  story  is  divided  into  class-rooms.  In  designing  the 
second  story  the  original  plan  was  to  use  it  for  recita- 
tion-rooms ;  but  Mr.  Moody  concluded  that  he  must 
have  some  place  for  congregational  purposes,  and  ac- 
cordingly this  floor  was  rendered  capable  of  a  double 
service.  On  ordinary  occasions  it  is  divided  into  three 
apartments  :  a  chapel  in  the  middle,  and  two  recitation 
halls,  one  at  each  end.  On  special  occasions  the  whole 
can  be  thrown  into  one  great  auditorium.  When  so  ar- 
ranged the  hall  will  accommodate  a  larger  gathering 
than  any  church  in  the  village,  and  during  the  summer 
conventions  its  capacity  has  often  been  taxed  to  the  ex- 
tremity. Within  the  building  are  chemical,  physical, 
and  botanical  laboratories.  A  problem  which  until 
recently  remained  unsolved  was  to  find  suitable  accom- 
modations for  the  Seminary  library,  which  consists  at 
present  of  about  4,000  volumes.  The  only  place  avail- 
able for  the  purpose  seemed  to  be  some  part  of  Stone 
Hall,  and  yet  in  that  building  all  the  space  was  likely 
soon  to  be  required  for  class-rooms.  A  liberal  friend 
of  the  work,  however,  Mr.  James  Talcott,  of  New  York, 
has  cut  the  Gordian  knot  by  offering  to  erect  a  Library 
building  at  a  cost  of  about  $20,000.  A  like  amount  has 
been  subscribed  by  Mr.  D.  M.  Weston,  of  Boston,  for  an 
additional  dormitory  building. 

All  the  buildings  are  admirably  suited  to  their  various 
purposes.  Outside  or  inside  they  look  bright,  cheerful, 
and  attractive.  The  interior  finish  is  in  light-colored 
hardwood  throughout.  The  furniture  is  substantial  and 
comfortable.  Improvements  have  from  time  to  time 
been  made  upon  the  grounds,  until  now  they  present 
almost  the  aspect  of  a  park.  Winding  macadamized 
drives  connect  the  buildings  with  the  main  thorough- 


NORTHFIELD  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS.  1 7 

fare.  To  the  north  is  a  romantic  ravine,  called  Bonar 
Glen.  The  Seminary  grounds  include  over  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres,  and  afford  conditions  for  every 
form  of  outdoor  recreation.  A  pretty  lake  has  recently 
been  added  to  the  property.  It  is  two  and  three-quarters 
t*cres  in  extent,  and  has  been  dammed  and  otherwise 
improved  at  an  expense  of  about  $4,000.  The  entire 
cost  was  borne  by  Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  of  Philadelphia, 
through  whose  generosity  the  young  ladies  may  enjoy 
excellent  boating  in  Summer  and  skating  in  Winter. 
Along  a  roadside  in  the  rear  of  the  Seminary  stand  two 
frame  houses,  which  are  to  be  fitted  up  as  dormitories, 
in  the  endeavor  to  accommodate  a  few  among  the  many 
importunate  applicants  for  admission  who  have  hither- 
to been  turned  away  for  lack  of  room. 

In  admitting  students,  great  care  is  exercised  to  ensure 
that  the  advantages  of  the  institution  shall  be  granted 
only  to  the  most  worthy.  The  process  of  exclusion  is 
rigid,  and  results  in  the  "  survival  of  the  fittest."  Appli- 
cants must  be  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  in  good  health. 
They  must  pass  satisfactory  examinations  in  arithmetic, 
English  grammar,  and  geography.  **'  It  is  desired  that 
only  those  shall  apply  who  have  a  thirst  for  knowledge 
and  such  an  aim  as  will  lead  them  to  improve  every  op- 
portunity, and  enter  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the  in- 
stitution." All  the  household  work  is  performed  by  the 
students.  There  are  two  courses  of  instruction,  the  one 
Latin  and  the  other  English,  each  covering  three  years. 
In  both,  English  composition  is  a  leading  feature.  Greek, 
French,  and  German  are  elective  studies.  In  mathemat- 
ics, algebra  and  geometry  are  required,  and  trigonome- 
try is  elective.  Other  branches  are  mental  and  moral 
philosophy,  history,  natural  sciences,  music,  and  the  fine 
arts.  The  study  of  the  Bible  is  continued  throughout  the 
course,  since   it   is   believed  that  a   knowledge  thereof 


1 8  D.   L.    MOODY  AT   HOME. 

should  underlie  and  overlie  ail  education.  Much  time  is 
spent  on  the  life  of  Christ^"  It  is  desired  to  surround  the 
students  with  such  religious  and  social  influences  as  are 
fitted,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  to  bring  them  to  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  life  in  a  spirit  of  earnest  consecration  to 
the  Master."  As  a  rule,  the  students  seem  happy,  healthy, 
and  busy.  To  illustrate  the  tone  of  their  daily  life,  the 
following  pledge-card  may  be  reproduced,  which  is  to  be 
found  tacked  inside  the  doors  of  most  of  the  rooms  in 
the  dormitories: 

GOD   HELPING   ME, 

I,  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ,  agree  :  i.  "To  Judge  Not."  2.  To  try  to 
bring  at  least  one  soul  to  Christ  each  year.  3.  To  observe  regular 
seasons  for  secret  prayer,  asking  to  be  made  more  Christ-like,  and 
praying  especially  that  some  unconverted  personal  friend  may  be 
saved.  And  that  in  my  work  for  the  welfare  of  others  1  may  depend 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make  me  successful.  4.  To  engage  in  no 
amusement  where  the  Saviour  could  not  be  my  companion.  5.  To 
stand  up  for  Jesus  always  and  everywhere.  6.  To  do  in  a  kindly  spirit 
all  in  my  power  to  help  others  to  keep  this  pledge. 


Signed,  

\JLr 

The  motto  of  the  institution  is  this  Bible  text  (Isaiah 
xxvii.  3):  "I  the  Lord  do  keep  it;  I  will  water  it  every 
moment:  lest  any  hurt  it,  I  will  keep  it  night  and  day." 
At  present  there  are  two  hundred  and  seventeen  stu- 
dents in  attendance.  They  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
Continent,  and  indeed  from  Europe.  Several  years  ago  a 
band  of  Indian  maidens  were  brought  from  Indian  Ter- 
ritory. They  were  apt  learners,  and  are  now  toiling  as  mis- 
sionaries and  teachers  among  their  people.  Of  the  many 
graduates,  some  are  engaged  in  city  mission  work  and  sev- 
eral are  in  foreign  fields.  The  principal  is  Miss  Evelyn 
S.  Hall,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley,  who  is  assisted  by  twelve 
lady  teachers  and  four  matrons.  Mr.  D.  M.  Weston 
is  President;  Colonel  Estey,  of  organ  fame,  is  Vice-Presi- 


NORTHFIELD  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS.  1 9 

dent;  Mr.  H.  N.  F.  Marshall  is  Treasurer;  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees  embraces  several  of  the  best  known  names 
in  this  country. 

At  the  Convention  of  1886  a  Ladies'  Aid  Society  was 
suggested  by  one  of  the  visitors,  and  immediately  formed. 
Any  lady  or  gentleman  may  become  a  member  on  pay- 
ment, annually,  of  $2.00,  or  a  life  member  on  payment 
of  $30.00.  Mrs.  Moody  is  treasurer.  The  purpose  is  to 
lend  money  to  needy  and  deserving  students,  to  enable 
them  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  course  without  impair- 
ing their  independence.  It  was  reported  that  wherever 
the  experiment  has  been  tried  elsewhere  the  students 
gladly  meet  the  debt  at  the  first  opportunity,  in  order 
that  others  in  the  condition  from  which  they  have 
emerged  may  likewise  be  helped.  Thus  $300,  the  ex- 
pense of  a  three  years'  course,  may  be  kept  constantly  in 
circulation,  and  become  the  perpetual  support  of  one 
student. 

MOUNT  HERMON  SCHOOL  FOR  YOUNG  MEN. 

While  the  Northfield  Seminary  was  still  in  its  infancy, 
Mr.  Moody  decided  to  commence  also  a  school  for  boys. 
With  characteristic  promptitude  and  large  faith  he  hesi- 
tated not  to  assume  the  double  burden.  No  land  suit- 
able for  the  purpose  could  be  had  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Northfield;  and  it  was  desirable  that  the 
school  should  be  located  at  some  distance  from  any 
town  to  secure  the  greatest  possible  immunity  from  evil 
influences.  What  was  wanted,  therefore,  was  a  tract  of 
land  not  many  miles  away,  within  easy  distance  of  some 
railroad  station,  and  yet  in  a  measure  isolated.  "  God 
moves  in  a  mysterious  way  His  wonders  to  perform." 
Through  a  train  of  circumstances  which  it  is  needless 
here  to  recount,  but  in  which  the  hand  of  Providence 
was  most  clearly  apparent,  at  this  juncture  of  affairs  a 


20  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

certain  parcel  of  property  which  exactly  met  the  require- 
ments of  the  proposed  establishment  came  into  the  mar- 
ket. Itf  was  a  splendid  farm  of  four  hundred  acres,  in 
the  town  of  Gill,  about  four  miles  from  Northfield,  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  across  the  Connecticut.  This 
land  had  been  held  by  one  family  for  several  genera- 
tions, and  was  supposed  to  be  unpurchasable  at  any 
terms.  In  the  whole  region  no  domain  could  have  been 
found  more  eminently  desirable  for  the  purposes  in 
view,  and  it  was  a  coincidence  little  less  than  miraculous 
that  just  when  Mr.  Moody  was  in  search  of  a  site  for  his 
intended  boys'  school,  this  fine  place  was  on  the  point 
of  falling  under  the  hammer.  At  first  two  hundred 
acres  were  sold.  These  he  bought  for  $7,000.  The 
timber  standing  thereon  was  alone  worth  that  amount. 
A  little  later  he  bought  the  other  two  hundred  acres  for 
$5,500.  Thus  the  whole  tract  cost  him  $12,500 — a  mere 
fraction  of  its  estimated  value — while  at  no  time  within 
the  preceding  fifty  years  could  it  have  been  bought  for 
love  or  money.  The  soil  had  been  under  systematic  till- 
age by  intelligent  farmers,  and  was  thus  in  excellent 
condition  for  the  industrial  department  which  was  to 
form  so  prominent  a  feature  of  the  projected  institution. 
The  situation  of  the  place  was  such  that  the  boys  could 
be  effectually  secluded  from  the  contaminating  influ- 
ences of  towns,  and  guarded  from  injurious  companion- 
ships. At  the  same  time  railway  communication  was 
within  easy  reach.  The  Connecticut  River  Railroad 
traverses  the  neighborhood,  and  a  station,  chiefly  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  school,  has  been  provided 
The  elevated  and  undulating  plateau  affords  numerous 
admirable  building  sites. 

The  height  upon  which  this  property  is  situated  is 
now  called  Mount  Hermon.  From  it  the  view  is  far- 
reaching  and  variegated.     If  compared  with  the  view 


NORTHFIELD  AND   ITS  SCHOOLS.  21 

from  the  Seminary  buildings  it  might  be  said  that  while 
that  is  peaceful  and  beautiful,  this  is  wild  and  sublime. 
Nature  is  gentle  or  rugged,  placid  or  energetic,  as  befits 
the  sex  at  either  place.  The  drive  from  Northfield  to 
Mount  Hermon  is  picturesque  at  every  turn.  The  river 
is  crossed  by  a  wire-rope  ferry.  Communication  between 
the  several  buildings  of  both  institutions  is  maintained 
by  telephone. 

The  money  with  which  the  farm  was  purchased  and 
rhe  school  commenced,  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Hiram  Camp, 
President  of  the  New  Haven  Clock  Company.  He  wrote 
a  check  for  $25,000,  and  has  since  declared  that  no  act 
of  his  long  life  has  yielded  him  greater  happiness.  Said 
he  recently:  "  If  I  could  have  that  money  back  again,  and 
see  the  school  reduced  to  nothing,  would  I  take  it  ?  A 
thousand  times  no  !  There's  no  joy  like  the  joy  of  giv- 
ing." He  has  since  contributed  liberally  toward  the 
development  of  the  school,  and  from  year  to  year  he 
watches  its  progress  with  ever-increasing  delight. 

At  first  the  old  farm-houses  which  were  found  upon 
the  place  were  used  as  dormitories.  In  connection  with 
them  a  small  wooden  building  was  put  up  to  serve  as  a 
recitation  hall.  When  it  became  necessary  to  enlarge 
the  dormitory  accommodations,  it  was  deemed  best  to 
preserve  the  family  system.  Instead  of  congregating  a 
large  number  of  boys  in  one  large  building,  the  plan  was 
preferred  of  dividing  them  into  groups  of  not  more  than 
twenty,  and  housing  them  in  small  cottages,  each  under 
the  charge  of  two  matrons.  In  1885  four  brick  cottages 
had  been  erected,  with  a  dining  hall  of  suitable  propor- 
tions. In  that  year,  also,  the  fine,  large  building  called 
Recitation  Hall  was  dedicated.  This  structure  is  built 
of  brick  and  granite.  In  the  basement  are  three  class- 
rooms. The  office  of  the  superintendent,  and  eight  reci- 
tation-rooms, occupy  the  first  floor.     The  principal  fea- 


22  D.   L.   MOODY   AT  HOME. 

ture  of  the  second  floor  is  the  library,  containing  1,400 
volumes.  Additions  to  the  collection  of  books,  of  suit- 
able character,  are  greatly  desired.  Space  is  here  found, 
also,  for  four  recitation-rooms.  On  the  third  floor  is  a 
handsome  chapel,  capable  of  seating  400  persons  ;  and 
a  museum  department,  devoted  partly  to  musical  in- 
struction. A  magnificent  view  is  obtained  from  the 
cupola. 

In  course  of  time  Mr.  Moody  found  reason  to  change 
in  some  degree  the  plan  of  the  school.  The  boys  he 
had  taken  were  many  of  them  too  young  to  have  formed 
any  definite  purpose  in  life,  or  to  entertain  while  study- 
ing anything  but  the  vaguest  notion  of  their  future. 
Experience  proved  that  the  results  would  be  much  more 
satisfactory  if  the  age  of  admission  were  raised  to  six- 
teen, and  the  course  of  study  adapted  to  youths  who  are 
almost  young  men.  This,  of  course,  lessened  the  force  of 
the  considerations  favorable  to  the  family  system  of 
housing;  and  when  the  number  of  students  grew  so 
rapidly  that  accommodations  upon  an  extensive  scale 
must  needs  be  contemplated,  plans  were  prepared  for 
the  erection  of  a  large  dormitory  and  a  dining  hall.  In 
the  Summer  of  1885  ground  was  broken  for  the  new 
buildings,  and  they  were  dedicated  in  June,  1886.  The 
dormitory,  called  Crossley  Hall,  is  of  brick  and  North- 
field  granite.  It  is  167  feet  long,  50  feet  wide  in  the 
middle,  and  40  feet  wide  in  the  wings;  and  the  flag- 
staff on  the  main  roof  is  105  feet  high.  The  style 
of  architecture  is  modern  and  strikingly  handsome. 
All  the  interior  is  finished  in  ash,  with  furniture  to 
match.  The  first  floor  is  marble-tiled.  Glancing  at 
the  building  from  the  outside  it  is  observed  that  the 
middle  portion  rises  four  stories,  with  granite-capped 
gables,  and  the  wings  to  three  stories,  with  brick  dor- 
mers.   The  central  feature  of  the  front  facade   is   an 


NORTHFIELD   AND    ITS   SCHOOLS.  23 

imposing  cut-granite  arch,  fronting  the  vestibule.  A 
broad  hall  leads  across  the  building,  and  this  is  crossed 
by  a  corridor  which  runs  to  the  ends  and  connects  with 
twenty-five  sleeping-rooms.  To  the  right  of  the  en- 
trance is  a  comfortable  office,  rendered  cheerful  by  an 
open  fire-place.  The  second  floor  contains  a  large  par- 
lor and  twenty-five  sleeping-rooms.  The  third  and 
fourth  floors  have  twenty-seven  sleeping-rooms  each. 
As  there  are  two  beds  in  each  room,  the  entire  dormitory 
will  accommodate  208  persons.  Two  windmills  pump 
spring  water  into  a  large  tank  in  the  attic. 

The  Dining  Hall  is  a  solid  brick  structure  100  by  40 
feet,  with  a  wing  62  by  30  feet  extending  back  for  the 
culinary  department.  From  the  north  front  corner  there 
rises  to  the  height  of  64  feet  a  massive  tower,  under 
which  is  the  entrance.  This  tower  is  to  be  utilized  for 
a  bell  and  clock,  and  will  also  afford  means  of  ventila- 
tion. The  main  hall  is  80  by  40  feet  in  size,  lighted  by 
thirteen  double-arched  windows,  and  the  ceiling,  17 
feet  high,  is  enriched  by  deep-paneled  wooden  beams. 
The  arrangements  for  the  comfort  of  the  students  are 
in  every  respect  complete. 

Mr.  Moody's  own  definition  of  the  object  of  the 
Mount  Hermon  School  has  been  thus  given  :  "  Mount 
Hermon  is  a  school  for  young  men  of  sound  bodies, 
good  minds,  and  high  aims — not  for  the  physically  or 
morally  weak.  It  undertakes  to  furnish  for  earnest 
Christian  young  men,  who  desire  to  serve  the  Master, 
opportunities  to  secure  a  better  preparation  than  other- 
wise would  be  within  their  reach.  It  also  provides  a 
place  where  young  men  whose  early  education  has  been 
neglected  can  be  instructed  according  to  their  individual 
needs.  In  the  admission  of  candidates  reference  is  had 
to  character  and  ability,  rather  than  to  scholarship. 
Then,  it  aims   to   care  for  the  physical  welfare  of  its 


24  D.    L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

pupils,  to  train  them  to  industrious  habits,  and  to  give 
them  some  practical  knowledge  of  work,  by  requiring 
of  each  one  a  certain  amount  of  manual  labor  daily. 
It  costs  $100  per  year  for  board  and  tuition." X-S 

If  the  ideas'  of  its  founder  as  they  have  at  various 
times  been  expressed  were  to  be  further  summarized, 
they  might  take  this  shape  :  There  is  a  distinct  need  for 
a  class  of  Christian  workers  so  trained  as  to  be  adapted 
for  labor  among  the  masses  in  the  destitute  parts  of 
great  cities,  and  in  other  fields  not  reached  by  the  or- 
dinary means  of  grace.  At  the  same  time  there  is  a 
large  class  of  young  men,  earnest  and  consecrated,  who 
would  be  glad  to  enter  upon  such  work  if  they  could  do 
so  after  a  short  and  special  course  of  study.  While  the 
full  course  of  the  regular  colleges  and  theological  semi- 
naries may  be  requisite  for  those  entering  the  regular 
ministry,  a  simpler  and  briefer  course  is  quite  sufficient 
for  the  purposes  of  an  humble  class  of  toilers.  In  fact, 
if  a  young  man  does  not  readily  receive  a  high  polish, 
and  is  likely  in  his  sphere  of  endeavor  to  have  mostly 
to  do  with  the  illiterate,  or  the  "  common  people,"  it  is 
not  desirable  to  educate  him  away  from  their  mental 
level.  If  he  talks  to  them  in  the  language  of  college- 
bred  men,  he  is  as  one  dropped  out  of  another  planet. 
The  more  familiar  he  is  with  their  habits  of  thought, 
the  greater  will  be  his  success  among  them.  Seeing, 
then,  that  young  men  whose  only  ambition  is  to  toil 
among  the  lowly  poor  are  as  well,  if  not  better,  without 
a  seven  years'  course,  and  at  all  events  would  consider  it 
out  of  the  question,  is  it  not  wise  to  provide  a  school 
suited  to  their  peculiar  wants  ?  And  if  any  of  the  stu- 
dents feel  drawn  toward  the  regular  ministry,  will  they 
not  be  better  prepared  to  profit  by  the  regular  college 
course  after  a  period  of  severely  practical  training  ? 

The  standard  of  admission  is  such  that  the  attendants 


NORTHFIELD  AND   ITS  SCHOOLS.  25 

are  a  body  of  picked  young  men.  Careful  scrutiny  is 
made  of  the  antecedents  and  disposition  of  each  appli- 
cant. "  Lazy,  ignorant,  or  vicious  boys  will  not  be  re- 
ceived knowingly,  or  long  retained  if  received  ignorant- 
ly."  Pupils  are  taken  only  on  probation.  Such  ques- 
tions as  these  are  asked:  "Has  the  candidate  shown  an 
ambition  to  excel  in  anything  ?  "  "  Has  he  formed  any 
purpose  in  life?"  "What  are  his  prominent  traits  of 
character?"  "Has  he  had  any  bad  companionships?" 
"  Why  do  you  wish  to  send  him  to  this  school  ? "  IjJ  may 
easily  be  imagined  that  after  running  the  gauntlet  of  a 
series  of  inquiries  of  this  searching  description,  the 
general  morale  of  the  students  must  be  high.  There  is 
one  thing  which  this  institution  specifically  is  not — it  is 
not  a  reform  school.  Schools  designed  for  the  wayward 
or  vicious  certainly  have  a  place  in  our  present  civiliza- 
tion; but  the  Mount  Hermon  School  is  meant,  first  and 
last,  to  furnish  the  Christian  education  craved  by  multi- 
tudes of  Christian  young  men.  The  students  are  re- 
quired to  engage  in  some  form  of  useful  labor  two  or 
three  hours  a  day.  Some  are  employed  on  the  farm, 
some  in  the  laundry,  and  some  in  attending  to  the  num- 
berless chores  around  the  buildings.  All  the  housework 
is  performed  by  them.  Those  occupied  upon  the  farm 
become  proficient  in  sowing,  reaping,  and  harvesting,  as 
well  as  in  the  care  of  cattle  and  sheep.  If  there  is  noth- 
ing else  to  be  done,  one  resource  always  remains — the 
time-honored  New  England  amusement  of  clearing  some 
field  of  its  superfluous  stones.  The  allotted  tasks  are 
performed  with  conscientious  and  cheerful  fidelity.  Each 
student  realizes  that  whenever  he  is  unwilling  to  con- 
tribute toward  the  cost  of  his  education  by  partially 
"working  his  passage,"  there  are  numerous  less  fortun- 
ate youths  waiting  to  take  his  place.  Besides  the  econo- 
my effected,  the  manual  labor  accomplished  by  the  young 


26  D.   L.   MOODY  AT   HOME. 

men  greatly  aids  in  preserving  the  healthful  condition 
of  mind  and  body  without  which  their  studies  would  be 
of  dubious  benefit.  The  students  illustrate  the  harmony 
and  beauty  of  true  Christian  living,  and  seem  "  diligent 
in  business,  fervent  in  prayer,  serving  the  Lord." 

There  will  now  be  room  for  300  young  men,  while 
heretofore  the  limit  of  accommodation  has  been  but 
slightly  over  160.  The  students  come  from  all  quarters 
of  the  earth,  and  have  represented  several  races.  While 
most  of  them  are  Americans,  not  a  few  have  been  sent 
hither  from  England,  and  among  the  number  there 
might,  at  different  times,  have  been  seen  Germans, 
Scandinavians,  Turks,  American  Indians,  and  Japanese. 
The  latter,  when  they  graduate,  return  to  their  native 
lands  as  missionaries. 

The  course  of  instruction  is  substantially  a  thorough 
grounding  in  English.  The  usual  studies  of  a  high- 
school  or  academy  are  pursued  so  far  as  is  considered 
judicious.  Above  all  text-books  is  placed  the  Book  of 
books.  Mr.  Moody,  when  at  home,  lectures  upon  Bible 
topics  five  times  a  week.  Clergymen  distinguished  for 
their  mastery  of  the  practical  use  of  the  Bible — such  as 
Dr.  Gordon,  of  Boston;  Dr.  Pierson  and  Dr.  Wayland, 
of  Philadelphia ;  Dr.  Pentecost,  of  Brooklyn  ;  and  Dr. 
Brookes,  of  St.  Louis — visit  the  school  in  rotation,  and 
deliver  courses  of  lectures.  They  compose  what  has  been 
humorously  termed  "  the  faculty."  Prof.  Henry  E.  Saw- 
yer, formerly  associate  principal  of  the  Connecticut 
Normal  School,  is  principal.  He  is  assisted  by  an  able 
corps  of  instructors  and  officials.  The  Board  of  Trus- 
tees is  headed  by  Mr.  Hiram  Camp,  and  its  treasurer  is 
Mr.  Wm.  F.  Lee,  of  679  Madison  Avenue,  New  York. 
About  $10,000  remains  to  be  subscribed  to  complete  the 
furnishing  of  the  new  buildings.  The  cost  of  furnishing 
one  bedroom  is  $50. 


NORTHFIELD   AND   ITS  SCHOOLS.    .  2J 

In  July,  1886,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  L.  D.  Wishard, 
College  Secretary  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Mr.  Moody  invited  all  the 
colleges  of  this  country  and  Canada  to  send  delegates  to 
a  "Summer  School  of  College  Students,"  at  Mount 
Hermon.  It  was  presumed  that  many  Christian  young 
men  attending  college  would  be.  willing  to  spend  a  part 
of  their  vacation  in  "  searching  the  Scriptures."  The  re- 
sponse was  most  gratifying;  250  students,  representing 
eighty  colleges,  came  together  from  all  sections  of  the 
continent.  The  school  continued  for  nearly  a  month, 
with  constantly  heightening  interest.  Lectures  were  de- 
livered by  Mr.  Moody,  Major  Whittle,  Dr.  Pierson,  Dr. 
Gordon,  Dr.  Brookes,  Dr.  Morehead,  and  Dr.  Clark.  Prof. 
Towner  conducted  the  singing.  Toward  the  end  a  mis- 
sionary spirit  developed,  which  grew  in  intensity  from 
day  to  day.  Missionaries  and  sons  of  missionaries  spoke 
with  glowing  countenances  of  the  rewards  of  faithful 
obedience  to  the  injunction  of  Christ  bidding  us  proclaim 
the  Gospel  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  Meetings 
were  held  for  special  consecration,  at  which  in  a  won- 
drous manner  prayer  was  answered  for  a  special  descent 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  enduement  of  power  for  service. 
Before  the  school  was  disbanded  fully  ninety-five,  and 
perhaps  one  hundred  young  men  yielded  themselves  to 
the  life  of  missionaries  of  the  cross  in  foreign  lands. 
Never  in  the  religious  history  of  America  was  there  a 
parallel  to  this  Pentecostal  spectacle. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   NORTHFIELD   SUMMER   GATHERINGS. 

Summer  Pursuits  of  a  Busy  Man — Mr.  Moody  at  Home— Confer- 
ences of  Christian  Workers — Their  Manifold  Advantages — Out- 
lines of  Four  Conventions — Bible  Study,  Consecration,  and 
Anointing  from  on  High. 

Mr.  Moody's  conception  of  the  meaning  of  the 
word  "  vacation "  must  be  peculiar  to  himself.  With 
most  men  the  word  signifies  a  period  of  absolute  repose, 
or  at  least  of  separation  from  serious  work.  With  him 
it  rather  implies  a  much-coveted  opportunity  for  the  ful- 
filment of  some  of  the  schemes  with  which  his  fertile 
brain  is  always  teeming.  It  was  in  his  vacation  intervals 
that  the  educational  work,  already  vast,  with  which  he 
is  identified  was  projected  and  year  by  year  pushed  to 
its  present  proportions.  Institutions  in  which  nearly 
half  a  million  of  dollars  have  been  invested,  and  which 
are,  perhaps,  only  the  earnest  of  what  shall  be,  will  per- 
petuate one  phase  of  his  influence,  and  remain  as  a  monu- 
ment to  his  memory,  if  the  Lord  tarry,  during  genera- 
tions yet  unborn.  Had  he  accomplished  nothing  else,  it 
would  have  seemed  wonderful  _that  so  many  buildings 
could  have  been  reared  and  so  many  forces  set  in  motion 
within  seven  short  years.  Yet  all  these  weighty  and 
multifarious  occupations  have  been,  so  to  speak,  but  the 
pastimes  of  the  play-hours  of  a  giant.  During  nine 
months  of  the  year  Mr  Moody  is  engrossed  in  the  ardu- 
ous evangelistic  labor  which  he  still  considers  the  princi- 
(28) 


THE  NORTHFIELD   SUMMER  GATHERINGS,  29 

pal  mission  of  his  life.  Recently  his  campaigns  have 
been  of  such  a  nature  as  to  require  almost  constant 
travelling,  in  addition  to  preaching  and  toiling  for  souls. 
In  former  years  it  was  his  custom  to  preach  in  some  im- 
mense tabernacle  in  the  heart  of  some  great  city.  If  he 
had  cared  for  personal  distinction,  it  would  plainly  have 
been  good  policy  for  him  to  have  continued  that  prac- 
tice. But  with  increasing  experience  he  realized  more 
and  more  the  desirability  of  closer  contact  with  the 
people  than  was  possible  in  the  mammoth  conventicles 
that  had  resounded  with  his  voice.  Baltimore  was  the 
scene  of  a  complete  change  of  plan.  The  city  was  divided 
into  districts.  In  each  district  the  Gospel  was  preached 
for  a  stated  period,  a  large  force  of  trained  workers  was 
kept  busy  among  the  inquirers,  and  arrangements  for 
"  drawing  the  net  "  were  much  more  efficient  than  under 
the  old  plan  of  assaulting  a  whole  city  at  once.  Upon 
leaving  the  district  the  local  clergy  were  expected  to 
follow  up  the  work.  In  this  manner  district  after  dis- 
trict was  dealt  with  till  the  whole  community  was 
thoroughly  canvassed.  The  results  of  this  altered  method 
were  so  satisfactory  that  Mr.  Moody  has  followed  it  ever 
since.  During  his  last  visit  to  London,  instead  of  preach- 
ing as  he  had  done  before  to  14,000  people  in  the  Agri- 
cultural Hall  and  similar  multitudes  in  other  places,  his 
system  of  action  was  to  attack  the  city  in  detail  by  sec- 
tions. Two  portable  iron  tabernacles  capable  of  holding 
just  as  many  people  as  he  thought  he  could  most  advan- 
tageously address,  were  moved  from  time  to  time  along 
the  line  of  a  predetermined  circuit.  If  the  work  was  less 
conspicuous  and  less  available  as  a  sensational  topic  in 
the  newspapers,  it  was  probably  much  more  fruitful  in 
profound  and  eternal  results.  Since  his  second  return 
to  America,  Mr.  Moody  has  still  further  developed  the 
same  tendency;  and  during  the  season  of  1884-85  and  of 


30  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

1885-86,  he  has  bestowed  his  attention  upon  the  smaller 
cities  so  numerous  throughout  the  continent.  His  habit 
is  to  arrange  a  course  of  travel,  consisting  of  a  chain  of 
cities  across  some  important  belt  of  territory,  and  remain 
about  three  days  in  each  place.  During  those  three  days 
he  will  preach,  perhaps,  three  sermons  a  day,  in  which 
he  endeavors  to  concentrate  what  he  has  found  by  ex- 
perience to  have  been  the  most  effective  arguments  and 
appeals  in  his  entire  arsenal  of  weapons;  and  whatever 
time  is  not  thus  occupied  is  for  the  most  part  spent  in 
inquiry  work.  Other  evangelists  precede  and  follow  him, 
and  in  each  place  the  ministers  garner  the  harvest  and 
utilize  the  spiritual  awakening.  Thus  with  Caesar-like 
rapidity  of  movement  Mr.  Moody  has,  within  two  years, 
been  able  to  visit  cities  of  from  ten  to  one  or  two  hun- 
dred thousand  population  in  New  England,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Canada,  the  Northwestern  States,  the 
Western  States,  the  Empire  of  Texas,  the  Gulf  States  of 
the  South,  the  Southern  seaboard  States,  and  in  fact  rep- 
resentative points  in  nearly  the  whole  of  the  most  dense- 
ly peopled  portions  of  North  America.  In  June  he  usu- 
ally hies  to  his  beloved  Northfield,  and  upon  his  arrival 
instantly  plunges  into  the  business  pertaining  to  the  two 
schools.  In  addition  to  his  concern  for  their  material 
welfare  he  assumes  the  role  of  a  theological  professor. 
The  students  have  the  rare  privilege  of  hearing  him  un- 
fold his  own  methods  of  Bible  teaching  and  the  princi- 
ples upon  which  he  frames  his  discourses  to  the  uncon- 
verted. It  must  surely  be  of  inestimable  benefit  to  them 
to  hear  his  words  of  advice,  encouragement,  and  stimu- 
lus, and  to  see  such  a  living  embodiment  of  robust  faith, 
sanctified  common-sense,  and  unquenchable  zeal. 

Whenever  his  presence  in  this  country  and  other  con- 
ditions render  it  possible,  Mr.  Moody  is  wont  to  summon 
to  Northfield,  some  time  in  the  month  of  August,  a  Con- 


THE  NORTHFIELD   SUMMER   GATHERINGS.  3 1 

vention  of  Christian  Workers.  Precisely  what  his  ob- 
ject is  in  so  doing  has  never  been  exhaustively  explained , 
but  it  may  be  conjectured  that  among  the  excellent  pur- 
poses sought  to  be  effected  are  these:  Mr.  Moody  himself 
can  have  very  little  opportunity  to  hear  other  men  preach 
or  deliver  expository  lectures.  When  he  wishes  to  gain 
some  knowledge  of  the  treasures  others  have  reached  in 
exploring  Bible  truths,  or  of  their  style  of  expression 
and  illustration,  how  is  he  to  obtain  it  ?  He  can  ex- 
amine books,  but  books  rarely  convey  the  freshest 
thoughts  of  their  writers,  nor  can  there  be  the  same  ad- 
vantage in  reading  a  disquisition  as  in  conferring  with 
its  author.  And  the  views  of  several  persons  on  the 
same  subject,  if  in  books,  cannot  be  compared  without 
inconvenience.  But  let  the  best  Bible  scholars  and 
evangelists  in  the  land  be  assembled  in  conference  for 
mutual  profit.  Let  them  bring  their  ripest  and  latest 
wisdom,  and  let  them  exchange  whatever  discoveries 
they  have  made  or  whatever  ideas  have  been  found  of 
practical  utility.  Could  there  be  any  way  in  which  Mr. 
Moody  might  acquire  so  much  information,  if  that  is 
among  his  wants  ?  In  the  second  place,  to  the  many 
evangelists  who  are  similarly  engaged  throughout  the 
year,  and  to  such  pastors  and  Christian  workers  as  may 
be  able  to  attend,  a  like  advantage  must  accrue.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  many  of  these  have  learned  more  with 
respect  to  the  capital  and  essential  truths  of  Christianity 
within  one  month  than  they  would  be  likely  to  learn  in 
a  whole  year  of  unaided  study.  In  the  third  place, 
many  are  enabled  to  become  acquainted  with  the  North- 
field  Seminary  and  the  Mount  Hermon  School  by  per- 
sonal observation  who  would  otherwise  only  know  of 
them  through  the  medium  of  print.  The  buildings  are 
comparatively  empty  during  August,  and  may  as  well 
be  turned  into  temporary  hotels  for  the  entertainment 


32  D.   L.   MOODY   AT  HOME. 

of  a  concourse  of  friends  from  abroad.  Mr.  Moody  al- 
ways impresses  upon  his  visitors  that  the  schools  are 
theirs  as  much  as  his  ;  and  the  fact  that  the  Christian 
public  at  large  is  responsible  for  their  sustenance  is  real- 
ized by  several  individuals  whom  the  Lord  has  blessed 
with  large  wealth.  In  the  fourth  place,  Mr.  Moody  is 
afforded  an  unequalled  opportunity  of  indoctrinating 
other  laborers  in  the  Master's  vineyard  with  the  ideas 
upon  which  he  lays  such  emphasis,  and  to  stir  them  up 
to  more  vigorous  and  sagacious  effort.  One  of  his  favorite 
principles  is,  that  it  is  far  better  to  set  others  to  work  than 
to  try  to  do  all  the  work  oneself.  That  is  perhaps  the 
most  potent  consideration  behind  his  exertions  in  the 
educational  field.  And  it  can  hardly  be  without  a  place 
among  the  considerations  impelling  him  to  call  the  series 
of  summer  conventions.  Although  he  takes  but  little 
time  himself  in  comparison  with  the  time  he  allots  to 
others,  what  he  says  when  in  some  degree  he  does  lessen 
his  self-imposed  restraint  is  of  the  highest  value,  not 
merely  to  the  eclectic  company  present,  but  to  the  whole 
Christian  world.  He  believes  the  ordinary  church-life 
of  to-day  must  be  revolutionized  in  several  directions 
before  it  can  be  at  all  adequate  to  cope  with  the  civiliza- 
tion of  this  swift-working  age.  Such  changes  as  he  con- 
siders most  imperative  he  proposes  and  commends  with 
all  the  momentum  of  deep  conviction.  Church  workers 
and  evangelists  gain  from  him  numberless  keenly  practi- 
cal suggestions  with  regard  to  the  best  method  of  con- 
ducting meetings  and  winning  the  unsaved.  And  in  his 
discourses  they  discern  elements  of  that  original  theolog- 
ical system  which  has  contributed  to  place  him  among  the 
most  influential  spiritual  teachers  in  either  hemisphere. 
Finally,  no  one  feels  more  than  does  Mr.  Moody  the  need 
of  what  he  terms  the  enduement  of  power  from  on  high, 
as  an  indispensable  requisite  to  success  in  preaching  the 


THE  NORTHFIELD   SUMMER   GATHERINGS.  33 

Word.  Hence,  much  of  the  attention  of  the  convocation 
is  always  turned  to  the  nature  and  offices  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  His  relation  to  preaching  as  a  vital  factor  in  its 
influence,  and  the  importance  of  seeking  His  aid  in 
abundant  measure.  All  are  led  to  engage  in  prayer  for 
a  special  anointing  of  power  for  service,  and  on  many 
sacred  occasions  earnest  pleading  has  been  answered  by 
most  awful  and  blessed  visitations  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
No  one  who  has  passed  through  such  an  experience  will 
ever  forget  it.  To  many  that  Massachusetts  hill  has  be- 
come a  very  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  they  have 
gone  down  into  the  world  with  faces  glowing  and  with 
hearts  burning  in  new-born  devotion  to  their  Saviour- 
King. 

The  first  Convention  was  called  in  1880.  From  be- 
ginning to  end  it  was  a  period  of  heart-searching,  of 
consecration,  and  of  humble  supplication  for  an  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  only  large  building 
then  constructed  was  the  one  now  known  as  East  Hall, 
behind  which  a  capacious  tent  was  pitched.  Under 
this  canopy,  from  day  to  day,  were  held  meetings  of  the 
most  thrilling  character.  Confession  of  unworthy  mo- 
tives issued  from  men  prominent  in  Christian  work, 
mingled  with  strong  crying  and  tears  that  they  might 
be  purged  from  every  taint  of  evil  and  "  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost."  For  ten  days  these  exercises  continued 
with  increasing  fervor.  When  they  culminated  it  seemed 
as  if  the  windows  of  Heaven  were  opened,  and  to  each 
waiting  soul  was  granted  even  more  of  the  Spirit  than 
he  felt  able  to  bear.  The  results  of  this  transcendent 
blessing  were  soon  apparent  when  the  delegates  re- 
turned to  their  diverse  spheres  of  labor. 

In  1881  a  Convention  was  called  for  the  purpose  of 
Bible  study,  and  continued  for  thirty  days.  At  the  invi- 
tation of  Mr.  Moody  the  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  A.  Bonar,  of 
2* 


34  D.   L.    MOODY  AT  HOME. 

Glasgow,  Scotland,  who  had  just  served  as  Moderator 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  visit  Northfield.  The  venerable 
chieftain  was  a  picturesque  figure  at  all  the  gatherings. 
His  addresses  were  characterized  by  the  accuracy  of 
scholarship  and  precision  of  statement  peculiar  to  the 
Scottish  intellect,  combined  with  a  profound  insight 
into  the  deeper  meanings  of  the  sacred  text,  and  an  in- 
describable sweetness  and  tenderness  of  manner  which 
immediately  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  and  won  for  him  their  unlimited  deference  and 
regard.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  daughter,  whose 
musical  talents  were  frequently  called  into  exercise. 
Among  the  speakers,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Moody  and  Dr. 
Bonar,  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pentecost,  of  Brooklyn  ;  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Gordon,  of  Boston  ;  Major  Whittle  ;  Mr.  Geo.  C. 
Needham;  Mr.  R.  C.  Morgan,  of  the  London  Christian;  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Brookes,  of  St.  Louis  ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Goodwin, 
of  Chicago  ;  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Erdman,  and  many  others. 
The  singing  was  conducted,  and  many  special  pieces 
sung,  by  Mr.  Sankey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  MacGranahan, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  C.  Stebbins.  The  forenoon  and 
evening  meetings  were  held  in  East  Hall.  The  after- 
noon meetings  were  held  in  the  Congregational  church 
of  the  village,  necessitating  a  walk  or  drive  of  about  a 
mile  and  return.  Occasionally  meetings  were  held  in 
Bonar  Glen.  When  time  permitted,  knots  of  people 
would  stroll  into  secluded  places  and  improvise  meet- 
ings for  the  closer  study  of  God's  Word.  During  the 
whole  month  the  interest  never  flagged,  but  rather  seemed 
to  deepen.  The  range  of  study  was  extensive,  closing 
with  a  season  of  personal  consecration  and  waiting  for 
the  Spirit. 

Owing  to  the  absence  of  Mr.  Moody  in  England  no 
Conventions  were  called  during  the  three  summers  fol- 


THE  NORTHFIELD   SUMMER  GATHERINGS.  35 

lowing.  But  in  1885  a  call  was  sent  out  for  a  Conven- 
tion, to  occupy  ten  days,  in  the  early  part  of  August. 
When  the  visitors  arrived  most  of  them  were  astonished 
to  behold  the  changes  that  had  been  effected  during 
their  absence.  Two  new  buildings — Marquand  Hall 
and  Stone  Hall — had  arisen  as  if  by  a  touch  of  Aladdin's 
lamp.  New  drives  had  been  laid  out,  and  the  grounds 
artistically  beautified.  The  metamorphosis  was  at  first 
bewildering.  Marquand  Hall  became  the  principal  ho- 
tel. The  class-rooms  of  Stone  Hall  afforded  lodging 
for  a  number  of  men  who  took  meals  at  the  Marquand 
dining-room.  East  Hall  as  a  hotel  had  the  advantage 
of  being  slightly  retired.  Accommodation  was  found 
for  many  guests  in  the  homes  of  the  villagers,  though 
the  pressure  in  that  direction  was  not  as  great  as  on 
previous  occasions  when  the  Seminary  was  still  in  em- 
bryo. The  general  meetings,  forenoon  and  afternoon, 
were  held  in  the  great  auditorium  of  Stone  Hall.  Devo- 
tional meetings  were  held  morning  and  evening  in  the 
chapels  of  the  two  dormitories.  At  some  of  these  smaller 
meetings  interesting  addresses  were  made  by  mission 
aries  or  persons  engaged  in  unusual  work.  A  tent  was 
pitched  on  the  green  near  the  road,  in  which  additional 
meetings  were  convened  when  demand  arose.  One  of 
the  most  striking  incidents  of  the  Convention  was  an 
address  by  Mr.  J.  E.  K.  Studd,  of  the  class  of  1883,  Cam- 
bridge University,  England,  and  distinguished  in  athletic 
circles  as  having  been  captain  of  the  University  Cricket 
Eleven.  Mr.  Studd  gave  an  account  of  the  visit  of  Mr 
Moody  to  Cambridge,  and  the  wonderful  religious  move- 
ment in  the  English  and  Scotch  universities.  He  nar- 
rated the  circumstances  leading  to  the  departure  of  a 
band  of  Cambridge's  best  men  for  China,  headed  by  Mr. 
Stanley  Smith  and  his  own  brother,  Mr.  C.  T.  Studd. 
His  rehearsal  of  their  apostolic  tours  in  Great  Britain 


36  D.  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

of  their  voyage  to  the  East,  marked  by  numerous  con- 
versions on  shipboard,  and  of  the  marvellous  blessing 
attending  their  first  exertions  in  China,  was  received 
with  exclamations  of  amazement  and  delight.  An  hon- 
ored guest  of  Mr.  Moody  was  the  late  John  B.  Gough, 
who  spoke  at  a  special  evening  meeting  in  Stone  Hall, 
few  supposing  that  he  was  so  soon  to  be  caught  up  from 
earth.  At  the  same  meeting  a  vigorous  address  was 
made  by  Mr.  William  Noble,  whose  work  has  led  to  the 
erection  of  Hoxton  Hall,  in  London,  England.  Among 
the  lecturers  on  Bible  topics  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gordon, 
of  Boston  ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pierson,  of  Philadelphia  ;  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Pentecost,  of  Brooklyn  ;  Dr.  L.  W.  Munhall,  of 
Indianapolis  ;  Mr.  Geo.  C.  Needham  ;  the  Rev.  W.  W. 
Clark,  of  Staten  Island  ;  and  several  others.  The  sing- 
ing was  conducted  by  Mr.  Sankey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  B. 
Towner,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  MacGranahan.  The 
themes  of  discussion  were  all  practical,  and  such  as  held 
direct  relation  to  aggressive  evangelical  work.  The  last 
day  was  devoted  to  the  contemplation  and  invocation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Dr.  Gordon  spoke  in  the  forenoon,  and 
in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Moody  gave  an  address  which  must 
have  been  superhuman,  whether  in  wisdom  or  power. 
Prayer  followed  for  a  special  blessing  upon  each  one 
present.  Many  a  withered  rod  was  thereafter  made 
mighty  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah  ;  many  a  vessel  was  re- 
filled from  the  ever-flowing  fountain. 

In  1886  another  Convention  was  held,  continuing 
for  ten  days,  from  the  4th  to  the  15th  of  August.  On 
this  occasion  the  central  figure  among  the  visitors 
was  the  Rev.  Marcus  Rainsford,  incumbent  of  Belgrave 
Chapel,  in  London,  England.  Two  sons  of  his  have 
attained  distinction  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  One  of 
them — the  Rev.  William  S.  Rainsford — is  the  succes- 
sor of  the   elder  Dr.  Tyng,  as   rector  of  St.  George's 


THE  NORTHFIELD   SUMMER   GATHERINGS.  S7 

Church,  New  York.  Mr.  Rainsford,  who  came  from 
London  especially  to  attend  this  Convention,  is  portly 
and  dignified  in  appearance,  with  a  bright,  genial  face, 
and  ruddy  color.  He  is  of  Irish  birth,  and  his  earlier 
ministry  was  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  as  chaplain  to  the 
Earl  of  Roden.  Consequently,  there  is  a  quaint  flavor 
in  the  literary  form  of  his  addresses,  which  at  times 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  irradiate  with  Hibernian  humor. 
His  later  life  has  been  spent  among  families  of  rank, 
which  renders  it  all  the  more  noteworthy  that  his  dis- 
courses are  so  uncompromising  in  declaring  "  the  whole 
counsel  of  God  "  without  regard  to  the  feelings  or  pref- 
erences of  his  hearers.  He  is  singularly  gifted  in  Bible 
exposition,  especially  in  bringing  out  the  full  meaning 
of  episodes  in  the  earthly  life  of  our  Saviour,  and  in 
elucidating  the  mysterious  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
revelation.  Mr.  Moody  presided  at  all  the  meetings,  and 
at  the  close  of  some  of  his  suggestive  addresses  suffered 
himself  to  be  made  the  target  of  countless  questions 
from  all  parts  of  the  house.  Among  the  other  speakers 
were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pierson,  of  Philadelphia ;  Major 
Whittle  ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gordon,  of  Boston  ;  the  Rev.  Dr. 
West,  of  St.  Paul;  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  of  New 
York ;  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Erdman  ;  Mr.  Geo.  C.  Needham ; 
the  Rev.  H.  M.  Parsons,  of  Toronto,  and  Mr.  Wm.  E. 
Blackstone,  of  Chicago.  On  the  last  day  several  ad- 
dresses were  made  upon  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
Mr.  Moody  supplementing  what  had  been  said  with 
observations  of  his  own  as  they  occurred  to  him. 
Prayer,  silent  and  vocal,  ascended  that  every  disciple 
present  might  receive  the  Divine  unction  and  be  clothed 
anew  with  power  for  service  as  never  before.  The  air 
trembled,  as  it  were,  with  the  unmistakable  brooding  of 
the  gracious  Spirit,  and  it  was  in  a  subdued  and  hallow- 
ed mood  that  the  company  dispersed.     Those  who  re- 


38  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

mained  till  the  farewell  meeting  in  the  evening  were 
doubly  blessed. 

The    attendance   at   these   various   Conventions   has 
reached  from  300  to  500,  if  those  only  are  included  who 
travel  from  a  distance.     The  people  of  the  village  and 
vicinity  enlarge  the  throng,  which  at  times  must  rise  in 
number  to  1,500.     Mr.  Moody  never  announces  his  pro- 
gramme more  than  one  day  in  advance.     Cut-and-dried 
programmes  he  eschews  as  an  obstacle  to  the  free  course 
of  the  Spirit,  and  depends  almost  momentarily   upon 
guidance  from  above.     One  result  of  this  habit  is  that 
attention  must  be  constantly  on  the  alert.     He  insists  on 
hearty  singing  and  plenty  of  it.    Mr.  Towner  has  brought 
a  male  choir  consisting  of  Mount  Hermon  youths  to  a 
high  point  of  proficiency,  and  Mr.  Moody  regards  their 
performances  with  almost  childish  delight.     When  they 
finish  one  piece  he  will  say,  "  Now,  while  you  are  on  your 
feet,  sing  something  else  " — usually  indicating  the  selec- 
tion.    Mr.  Sankey,  Mr.  MacGranahan,  and  Mr.  Towner 
are  ever  composing  new  melodies,  and  they  are  greatly 
aided  in  determining  the  value  of  these   by  observing 
the  degree  of  readiness  with  which  the  people  assembled 
are  able  to  join  in  singing  the   choruses.     Mr,  Moody 
sees  that  an  abundant  supply  of  vehicles  is  in  readiness 
during  the  intervals  between  the  meetings,  whose  owners 
are  willing,  at  a  moderate  charge,  to  enable  visitors  to 
enjoy  the  exhaustless  beauty  of  the  surrounding  country. 
In  his  own  conveyance  he  carries  as  many  as  practicable 
of  his  personal  friends,  new  and  old,  and  points  out  to 
them  the  limits  and  adjuncts  of  the  Seminary  property. 
He  is  particularly  pleased  when  the  pleasure-seekers  in 
their  afternoon  drives  turn  in  the  direction  of  the  school 
for  young  men,  four  miles  away,  over  the  river.     He  is 
wont  to  say,  "Your  education  isn't  completed  till  you 
have  seen  Mount  Hermon."     Now  that  the  Seminary  for 


THE   NORTHFIELD   SUMMER   GATHERINGS.  39 

young  ladies  is  so  well  established,  he  feels  that  it  de- 
mands less  of  his  care  than  formerly  ;  and  if  there  is  one 
thing  upon  earth  upon  which  his  heart  is  set  inordi- 
nately, it  is  the  prosperity  of  the  newly-founded  "school 
of  the  prophets." 

So  far  as  can  now  be  known,  similar  Conventions  will 
be  held  in  succeeding  years.  Mr.  Moody  desires  to  en- 
courage the  attendance  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
engaged  in  regular  pastoral  work,  and  to  this  end  he 
purposes  diminishing  to  the  utmost  the  cost  of  their 
■entertainment.  At  the  last  Convention  a  number  of 
college  students  who  had  attended  the  Summer  School 
at  Mount  Hermon,  and  greatly  desired  to  attend  the 
August  assembly  also,  solved  for  themselves  the  prob- 
lem of  cheap  living.  The  frame  buildings  on  the  hill- 
side, intended  for  dormitories,  were  appropriated  to 
their  use.  By  clubbing  together  in  a  somewhat  primi- 
tive fashion,  they  contrived  to  live  at  an  expense  per 
head  of  only  thirty  cents  a  day,  and  "  live  well."  In 
some  such  manner  as  this  it  is  hoped  that  a  great  num- 
ber of  ministers  throughout  the  country,  who  would 
otherwise  be  debarred  from  so  doing,  will  be  enabled  to 
visit  Northfield,  and  have  part  in  the  seasons  of  refresh- 
ing on  that  mount  of  privilege. 

The  ultimate  influence  of  the  Conventions  already 
held  cannot  be  comprehended,  much  less  computed,  by 
finite  minds.  Included  among  their  attendants  have 
been  missionaries  from  every  clime  under  the  sun, 
students  in  preparation  for  antipodean  fields,  evangel- 
ists of  Pauline  activity,  clergymen  in  charge  of  great 
citadels  or  forlorn  outposts  in  the  name  of  the  coming 
King,  editors  of  metropolitan  newspapers  in  America 
and  beyond  sea,  city  missionaries,  superintendents 
and  teachers  in  Sunday-schools,  church  officials,  conse- 
crated business  men,  and  followers  of  Christ  of  every 


40  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

description  and  degree.  If  each  of  these  received  a 
new  impetus  and  a  breath  of  heavenly  inspiration,  and 
then  in  turn  set  other  souls  in  harmonious  motion, 
what  mathematician  can  estimate  the  myriad  conse- 
quences ? 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    CONVENTION    TALK. 

Mr.  Moody  on  the  Importance  of  Personal  Work — How  it  Should  be 
Done — Inquirers  and  How  to  Meet  their  Needs — No  Two  Cases 
Alike — Backsliders — Without  Conviction — Penitent  Ones — Ques- 
tions and  Answers. 

[The  intensely  practical  character  of  the  talks  given  at  the  Northfield 
Conventions,  renders  them  of  far  more  than  transient  interest;  and  hence 
a  general  demand  has  arisen  that  they  be  couched  in  permanent  form, 
and  given  a  larger  hearing.  That  the  reader  may  judge  of  their  value, 
several  are  herewith  presented.  Among  the  most  suggestive  was  that  by 
Mr.  Moody  on  ''■Personal  Work."] 

Personal  dealing  is  of  the  most  vital  importance.  No 
one  can  tell  how  many  souls  have  been  lost  through  lack 
of  following  up  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  by  personal 
work.  It  is  deplorable  how  few  church-members  are 
qualified  to  deal  with  inquirers.  And  yet  that  is  the 
very  work  in  which  they  ought  most  efficiently  to  aid 
the  pastor.  People  are  not  usually  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  the  minister.  It  is  in  the  inquiry-meeting 
that  they  are  most  likely  to  be  brought  to  Christ.  Some 
people  can't  see  the  use  of  inquiry-meetings,  and  think 
they  are  something  new,  and  that  we  haven't  any  au- 
thority for  them.  But  they  are  no  innovation.  We 
read  about  them  all  through  the  Bible.  When  John  the 
Baptist  was  preaching  he  was  interrupted.  It  would 
be  a  good  thing  if  people  would  interrupt  the  minister 
now  and  then  in  the  middle  of  some  metaphysical  ser- 
mon, and  ask  what  he  means.     The  only  way  to  make 

(41) 


42  D.  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

sure  that  people  understand  what  he  is  talking  about  is 
to  let  them  ask  questions.  I  don't  know  what  some 
men,  who  have  got  the  whole  thing  written  out,  would 
do  if  some  one  should  get  up  and  ask  :  "What  must  I 
do  to  be  saved  ? "  Yet  such  questions  would  do  more 
good  than  anything  else  you  could  have.  They  would 
wake  up  a  spirit  of  inquiry.  Some  people  say,  all  you 
want  to  do  is  to  make  the  preaching  so  plain  that  plain 
people  will  understand  it.  Well,  John  the  Baptist  was 
a  plain  preacher,  and  yet  he  asked  :  "  Have  you  under- 
stood these  things  ?  "  He  encouraged  them  to  inquire. 
I  think  people  sometimes  would  be  greatly  relieved, 
when  the  minister  is  preaching  way  above  their  heads, 
if  he  would  stop  and  ask  whether  they  understood  it. 
His  very  object  is  to  make  the  Word  of  God  clear. 
Christ  was  a  plain  preacher ;  but  when  He  preached  to 
Saul,  the  man  was  only  awakened.  Christ  could  have 
convicted  and  converted  him  ;  but  He  honored  a  human 
agency,. and  sent  Ananias  forth  to  tell  the  Word  whereby 
he  was  to  be  saved.  Philip  was  sent  away  into  the  des- 
ert to  talk  to  one  man  in  the  chariot.  We  must  have 
personal  work — hand-to-hand  work — if  we  are  going  to 
have  results. 

NO   UNIFORM   RULE   FOR  ALL. 

I  admit  you  can't  lay  down  rules  in  dealing  with  in 
quirers.  There  are  no  two  persons  exactly  alike.  Mat 
thew  and  Paul  were  a  good  ways  apart.  The  people  we 
deal  with  may  be  widely  different.  What  would  be 
medicine  for  one  might  be  rank  poison  for  another.  In 
the  15th  of  Luke  the  elder  son  and  the  younger  son 
were  exactly  opposite.  What  would  have  been  good 
counsel  for  one  might  have  been  ruin  to  the  other.  God 
never  made  two  persons  to  look  alike.  If  we  had  made 
men,  probably  we  would  have  made  them  all  alike,  even 


A  CONVENTION  TALK.  43 

if  we  had  to  crush  some  bones  to  get  them  into  the 
mould.  But  that  is  not  God's  way.  In  the  universe 
there  is  infinite  variety.  The  Philippian  jailer  required 
peculiar  treatment.  Christ  dealt  with  Nicodemus  one 
way,  and  the  woman  at  the  well  another  way.  It  is  dif- 
ficult to  say  just  how  people  are  to  be  saved,  yet  there 
are  certain  portions  of  Scripture  that  can  be  brought  to 
bear  on  certain  classes  of  inquirers. 

I  want  to  say,  I  think  it  is  a  great  mistake,  in  dealing 
with  inquirers,  to  tell  your  own  experience.  Experience 
may  have  its  place  ;  but  I  don't  think  it  has  its  place 
when  you  are  dealing  with  inquirers.  For  the  first  thing 
the  man  you  are  talking  to  will  do  will  be  to  look  for 
your  experience.  He  doesn't  want  your  experience.  He 
wants  one  of  his  own.  No  two  persons  are  converted 
alike.  Suppose  Bartimeus  had  gone  to  Jerusalem  to 
the  man  that  was  born  blind,  and  said  :  "Now,  just  tell 
us  how  the  Lord  cured  you."  The  Jerusalem  man  might 
have  said:  "He  just  spat  on  the  ground,  and  anointed 
my  eyes  with  the  clay."  "  Ho  ! "  says  Bartimeus  ;  "  I 
don't  believe  you  ever  got  your  sight  at  all.  Who  ever 
heard  of  such  a  way  as  that  ?  Why,  to  fill  a  man's  eyes 
with  clay  is  enough  to  put  them  out !  "  Both  men  were 
blind,  but  they  were  not  cured  alike.  A  great  many 
men  are  kept  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God  because  they 
are  looking  for  somebody  else's  experience — the  expe- 
rience their  grandmother  had,  or  their  aunt,  or  some  one 
in  the  family.  I  knew  an  old  man  who  used  to  tell  peo- 
ple to  go  down  to  a  certain  bridge  and  get  on  their 
knees,  and  the  Lord  would  meet  them  there.  Some 
Christians  take  the  ground  that  sinners  are  not  saved 
unless  they  are  saved  just  in  their  way.  Then  it  is  very 
important  to  deal  with  one  at  a  time.  A  doctor  doesn't 
give  cod-liver  oil  for  all  complaints.  No  ;  he  says,  "  I 
must  see  what  each  one  wants."     He  wants  to  look  at 


44  D.  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME.    • 

the  tongue,  and  inquire  into  the  symptoms.  One  may 
have  ague,  another  typhoid  fever,  and  another  may 
have  consumption.  What  a  man  wants  is  to  be  able  to 
read  his  Bible,  and  to  read  human  nature  too. 

DIFFERENT   CLASSES. 

Now,  it  will  be  a  great  help  to  some  of  us  to  divide 
inquirers  into  classes,  and  I  would  like  to  say  a  few 
words  about  some  of  these.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  a 
class  of  people  who  lack  assurance.  Of  course  they  are 
church-members,  but  there  are  plenty  of  people  inside 
the  church  who  need  inquiry-work  just  as  much  as  those 
outside.  For  example,  there  are  a  great  many  church- 
members  who  are  just  hobbling  about  on  crutches. 
They  can  just  make  out  that  they  are  saved,  and  im- 
agine that  is  all  that  constitutes  a  Christian  in  this  nine- 
teenth century.  As  far  as  helping  others  is  concerned, 
that  never  enters  their  heads.  They  think  if  they  can 
get  along  themselves  they  are  doing  amazingly  well. 
They  have  no  idea  what  the  Holy  Ghost  wants  to  do 
through  them. 

BACKSLIDERS. 

I  would  like  to  take  up  the  class  of  backsliders.  You 
always  find  when  Christians  are  awakened  there  are  a 
great  many  returning  backsliders,  and  you  want  to 
know  how  to  deal  with  them.  Backsliders  are  doing 
a  vast  amount  of  injury.  One  backslider  will  do  more 
harm  than  twenty  Christian  men  can  do  good.  Uncon- 
verted people  say  :  "  Here  are  some  men  who  have  tried 
this  way.  If  there  is  as  much  joy  in  it  as  you  make  out, 
how  is  it  that  so  many  people  are  dissatisfied  and  go 
back  into  the  world?"  It's  a  hard  argument  to  over- 
come. It  is  very  important  to  get  these  stumbling- 
blocks  out  of  the  way.    Now,  in  dealing  with  backsliders, 


♦       A  CONVENTION  TALK.  45 

I  use  Jeremiah  more  than  any  other  book  in  the  Bible. 
Some  use  only  the  New  Testament,  but  I  want  the  Old 
Testament  as  well  as  the  New.  It  seems  as  if  the  whole 
Book  of  Jeremiah  was  written  for  backsliders.  See  Jere- 
miah i.  17  :  "Thou,  therefore,  gird  up  thy  loins,  and 
arise  and  speak  unto  them  all  that  I  command  thee." 
It  is  God  speaking  through  Jeremiah.  In  the  second 
chapter  and  thirteenth  verse,  He  says  :  "  My  people  have 
committed  two  evils  ;  they  have  forsaken  Me,  the  foun- 
tain of  living  waters,  and  hewed  them  out  cisterns, 
broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water."  That  goes 
right  to  the  heart  of  every  backslider— that  is,  every 
true  backslider.  A  great  many  people  are  not  true  back- 
sliders. As  the  old  chaplain  in  the  army  said,  they  never 
slid  forward.  They  have  been  clinging  to  some  minis- 
ter, some  church,  some  choir  ;  they  never  were  converted 
at  all.  But  a  man  that  has  ever  known  the  Shepherd — 
ah,  he  will  hear  the  voice.  When  you  find  a  real  back- 
slider, who  has  once  known  the  Lord  and  loved  Him, 
take  him  to  the  Word  as  quick  as  you  can—"  My  people 
have  hewn  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns."  And  then  just 
turn  right  around  to  him  and  say  :  "  Isn't  that  your 
difficulty  ?  Does  the  world  satisfy  you  ?  Does  the  water 
of  this  world  quench  your  thirst  ? "  And  if  he  is  a  true 
child  of  God,  he  will  shrink  and  say :  "  Don't !  oh 
don't !  "  He  can't  bear  to  hear  it.  Then  in  the  nine- 
teenth verse  of  the  same  chapter  :  "  Thine  own  wicked- 
ness shall  correct  thee,  and  thy  backslidings  shall  re- 
prove thee."  I  have  known  men  whose  backslidings 
have  been  ruin  to  their  families,  and  their  children  have 
grown  skeptical.  When  you  read  this  passage  to  this 
kind  of  backsliders,  they  will  say:  "What!  does  the 
Bible  say  that  ?.  That  is  my  case.  Darkness  and  sor- 
row have  come  into  my  family."  There  is  nothing  like 
bringing  the  word  of  God  to  bear  upon  these  people. 


46  IX   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

I  remember  when  I  was  in  St.  Louis  the  last  time,  there 
was  an  old  man  who  had  been  away  off  on  the  moun- 
tains of  an  ungodly  life,  but  in  his  early  manhood  he 
had  known  Christ.  There  he  was  in  the  inquiry-room, 
literally  broken  down.  About  midnight  that  old  man 
came  trembling  before  God,  and  was  saved.  He  wiped 
away  his  tears,  and  started  home.  Next  night  I  saw 
him  in  the  audience,  with  a  terrible  look  in  his  face.  As 
soon  as  I'd  got  done  preaching,  I  went  to  him  and  said  : 
"  My  good  friend,  you  haven't  gone  back  into  darkness 
again  ? "  Said  he  :  "  Oh,  Mr.  Moody,  it  has  been  the 
most  wretched  day  in  my  life."  "Why  so?"  "Well, 
you  know,  this  morning  as  soon  as  I  got  my  breakfast, 
I  started  out.  I  have  got  a  number  of  children,  mar- 
ried, and  in  this  city,  and  they  have  got  families  ;  and  I 
have  spent  the  day  going  around  and  telling  them  what 
God  has  done  for  me.  I  told  them  how  I  had  tasted 
salvation,  with  the  tears  trickling  down  my  face  ;  and, 
Mr.  Moody,  I  hadn't  a  child  that  didn't  mock  me."  That 
made  me  think  of  Lot  down  in  Sodom.  It  is  an  awful 
thing  for  a  man  who  has  been  a  backslider  to  have  his 
children  mock  him.  But  it  is  written  :  "  Thy  backslid 
ings  shall  reprove  thee  ;  know  therefore,  and  see  that  it 
is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter,  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the 
Lord  thy  God."  Then  look  at  the  thirty-second  verse  : 
"  Can  a  maid  forget  her  ornaments,  or  a  bride  her  attire  ? 
yet  My  people  have  forgotten  Me,  days  without  number." 
You  know  very  well  if  you  lost  an  earring  you  would 
hunt  for  days  to  find  it.  Yet  you  may  lose  your  Chris- 
tian hope,  and  you  won't  hunt  for  it.  If  you  lost  a  dia- 
mond ring,  how  you  would  hunt  for  it !  I  have  met  a 
great  many  backsliders  in  that  way.  I  remember  say- 
ing to  a  lady  :  "  Madam,  you  think  more  of  that  earring 
than  you  do  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Don't  you  know 
that  ? "    "  Why,  no  ! "    "  Yes  ;  if  you  lost  it,  wouldn't  you 


A  CONVENTION  TALK.  47 

hunt  for  it  ?  "  "Yes."  "  Have  you  thought  as  much  of 
the  peace  you  have  lost  ?  You  have  lost  the  peace  of 
God,  and  the  joy  of  your  salvation.  Have  you  sought 
it  ? "  In  that  way  you  are  likely  to  bring  them  back. 
Take  Jeremiah  iii.  12-14:  "Return,  thou  backsliding 
Israel,  ....  for  I  am  merciful."  Then  the  nineteenth 
verse :  "  How  shall  I  put  thee  among  the  children  ? 
....  Thou  shalt  call  Me,  My  Father ;  and  shalt  not 
turn  away  from  Me."  Then  read  Hosea  xiv.  1,  2,  4,  5, 
and  a  great  many  others.  There  is  one  peculiarity  about 
backsliders.  They  have  got  to  get  out  the  way  they  got 
in.  "  Repent,  and  do  the  first  works."  "  Turn  from  your 
backslidings."  "Turn  from  your  sin."  Take  the  same 
road  that  took  you  away  from  Christ  to  bring  you  back. 
I  once  remember  once  talking  with  a  backslider,  and  I 
said  :  "  If  you  would  treat  Christ  as  you  would  treat  any 
earthly  friend,  you  would  never  go  away  from  Him." 
"  How  is  that  ? "  "  Did  you  ever  know  a  backslider  to 
go  in  his  closet,  get  down  on  his  knees,  tell  the  Lord  he 
was  tired  of  His  service,  and  bid  him  good-bye,  and 
then  go  back  into  the  world  ?  When  you  are  leaving  a 
friend  you  bid  him  good-bye,  don't  you  ?  Then  you 
treat  Christ  as  you  would  not  treat  an  earthly  friend." 

Q.  What  would  you  say  to  a  backslider  who  wanted 
to  get  back  his  old  experience  ?  A.  He  doesn't  want 
his  old  experience;  he  wants  a  new  one.  God  doesn't  re- 
peat Himself.  That  is  the  very  pit  a  great  many  tumble 
into — they  want  the  same  experience.  But  God  will  give 
them  a  fresh  experience,  and  perhaps  a  better  one.  You 
remember  how  God  used  Peter  after  He  restored  him.  I 
don't  believe  David  was  used  before  he  fell  as  much  as 
he  was  used  afterward.  Look  at  that  51st  Psalm.  What 
a  help  it  has  been  to  multitudes — written  by  a  restored 
backslider  !  If  you  have  fallen  and  come  back,  God  may 
use  you  far  more  in  the  future  than  He  ever  did  before 


48  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  a  man  who  thinks  he  has 
backslidden  so  far  there  is  no  hope  for  him  ?  A.  The 
devil  tells  him  chat.  He  says:  "There  is  no  chance  of 
your  being  renewed,"  etc.  Why,  there's  no  one  but  has 
backslidden.  I  have  backslidden  many  times.  Thank 
God,  I  never  lost  my  hope.  But  I  have  gone  away  from 
the  Lord.  There  isn't  a  Christian  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  that  hasn't  backslidden. 

Q.  Would  you  advise  men  who  have  backslidden,  and 
been  restored,  to  go  into  Christian  work  again  ?  A. 
Yes;  by  all  means.  Sometimes  they  make  the  best  work- 
ers.    They  are  apt  to  go  very  softly  and  carefully. 

Q.  Is  it  wise  to  have  them  go  forth  as  Christian  preach- 
ers and  teachers?  A.  Well;  David  taught,  I  think,  a 
great  deal  better  after  he  was  restored  than  before. 
Peter  taught.  His  great  sermon  at  Pentecost  was  after 
he  had  been  restored.  Some  one  might  have  said  to 
him:  "Didn't  I  hear  you  denying  Christ  and  swearing 
the  other  night  ?"  "  Oh,  yes;  but  God  has  forgiven  me." 
Peter  spoke  out  of  a  full  heart,  because  he  had  been  for- 
given. When  God  forgives  a  man,  that  is  the  end  of  it. 
He  is  forgiven — justified. 

Q.  Would  you  discriminate  in  the  matter  of  testimony 
after  a  man  has  fallen  ?  A.  Well,  let  me  tell  you  about 
confession.  Every  man  ought  to  make  a  public  confes- 
sion if  his  sin  has  been  public.  Suppose,  now,  I  have 
done  this  man  a  wrong,  and  no  one  knows  it  but  us  two. 
Then  the  confession  ought  to  be  between  us  two  alone. 
I  don't  believe  in  making  confession  of  such  a  thing 
publicly— it  isn't  called  for.  Suppose  I  had  a  difficulty 
with  my  family.  It  ought  to  be  settled  with  my  family. 
It  needn't  go  forth  to  the  world.  But  suppose  I  have 
been  a  public  blasphemer — have  been  seen  reeling  in 
the  streets  of  Northfield  a  drunkard — it  is  known  by  all 
the  people  here — I  ought  to  make  my  confession  so  that 


A  CONVENTION  TALK.  49 

the  whole  town  will  hear  it.  and  the  chances  are  they 
will  receive  my  testimony. 

PERSONS   NOT   CONVICTED. 

Now,  let  me  speak  about  another  class — those  that 
have  not  been  convicted  of  sin.  When  we  preach  the 
Word  it  falls  upon  all  kinds  of  ground;  and  we  must 
preach  right  along,  no  matter  what  the  soil  is.  Some 
men  cultivate  rich  soil,  but  some  of  us  have  to  do  what 
we  can  in  stony  ground  among  these  old  hills  of  New 
England.  We  must  not  sit  in  judgment  upon  men  that 
we  think  are  hard  to  impress,  and  say:  "These  men  are 
not  worth  offering  the  Gospel  to."  Our  business  is  to 
offer  the  Gospel  to  every  one.  We  are  to  sow  beside  all 
waters.  But  in  dealing  with  these  men  in  the  inquiry- 
room,  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  give  certain  passages  to  a 
man  who  has  not  been  convicted  of  sin  that  were  never 
meant  for  him.  The  law  is  what  the  man  wants.  It  is 
no  use  talking  peaceful  words  when  he  doesn't  know 
there  is  war;  no  use  offering  medicine  when  he  doesn't 
know  he  is  sick.  The  Pharisee  on  the  housetop  was 
just  as  far  from  God  as  he  could  possibly  go.  The  pub- 
lican was  just  at  the  threshold  of  the  kingdom  before 
he  went  in.  Look  at  those  two  men.  They  are  types 
of  two  classes  in  the  inquiry-meeting.  Give  one  the 
law,  nothing  but  the  law.  Don't  give  ^comforting  pas- 
sages. I  wouldn't  say:  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden."  He  isn't  heavy  laden.  He  has 
got  his  head  so  high  that  he  is  likely  to  tumble  over 
backward — full  of  his  own  conceit,  his  own  righteous- 
ness. That  man  needs  the  law.  Give  him  Galatians  iii.; 
and  Romans  iii.  10:  "There  is  none  righteous;  no,  not 
one";  and  the  53d  chapter  of  Isaiah:  "We  all,  like  sheep, 
have  gone  astray."  Read  to  him  descriptions  of  his  own 
heart,  and  let  him  see  himself  as  God  sees  him.    But  re- 


50  .    D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

member  that  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  pro- 
duce conviction.  I  am  simply  to  present  the  truth,  and 
let  the  Holy  Spirit  do  His  work.  It  isn't  my  fault,  if  I 
have  preached  faithfully,  and  the  man  isn't  convicted. 
"When  He  comes,  He  will  convince  the  world  of  sin." 
I  don't  believe  there  is  any  power  on  earth  that  can  con- 
vince a  man  of  sin  without  the  Holy  Ghost. 

INVITATIONS   TO    THE   PENITENT. 

There  is  another  class  of  inquirers,  and  that  is,  those 
who  are  deeply  convicted  of  sin.  For  those  I  would 
take,  first,  the  nth  chapter  of  Matthew:  "Come  unto 
Me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.  Take  My  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of 
Me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart;  and  ye  shall  find 
rest  unto  your  souls.  For  My  yoke  is  easy,  and  My  bur- 
den is  light."  This  comes  with  great  tenderness  and 
great  power  when  a  man  is  awakened.  Then  use  texts 
that  say:  "  Come."  The  word  "  come  "  occurs  1,900  times 
in  the  Bible.  It  begins  away  back  in  Genesis,  and 
runs  right  through  to  the  last  chapter  of  Revelation — 
"  Come,"  "  Come."  In  talking  to  an  unconverted  per- 
son, make  it  as  plain  as  you  can.  Sometimes  I  talk 
this  way:  " '  Come '  is  the  first  thing  a  mother  says  to  her 
little  child.  When  she  wants  it  to  learn  to  walk,  she 
places  it  beside  a  chair,  goes  off  a  little  distance,  and 
then  says  'Come,'  and  the  little  thing  lets  go  of  the  chair 
and  runs  to  its  mother.  That  is  what  coming  means. 
If  you  can't  come  as  a  saint,  come  as  a  sinner.  If  you 
feel  that  your  heart  is  so  hard  you  are  not  fit  to  come, 
God  wants  you  just  as  you  are.  He  can  soften  your 
hard  heart.  If  you  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  come, 
and  the  Lord  will  bless  you."  I  remember  a  man  in  the 
north  of  England,  a  few  years  ago,  the  last  time  Mr. 
Sankey  and  I  were  there.     He  fell  into  the  hands  of  a 


A  CONVENTION  TALK.  51 

good  worker — a  Scotchman.  He  said  he  felt  he  was 
bound  by  a  chain  so  that  he  could  not  go  to  God.  U  Eh, 
mon,"  said  the  Scotchman,  "why  don't  you  go,  chain 
and  all?"  "Why,  I  never  thought  of  that !"  And  he 
went.  One  text  you  can  make  great  use  of  is  John  v. 
24:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth 
on  Him  that  sent  Me  hath  everlasting  life,"  etc.  An- 
other is  John  vi.  37:  "Him  that  cometh  unto  Me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out."  I  remember  laboring  with  a 
man  in  Chicago.  It  was  past  midnight  before  he  got 
down  on  his  knees,  but  down  he  went,  and  was  con- 
verted. I  said:  "  Now,  don't  think  you  are  going  to  get 
out  of  the  devil's  territory  without  trouble.  The  devil 
will  come  to  you  to-morrow  morning  and  say  it  was  all 
feeling;  that  you  only  imagined  you  were  accepted  by 
God.  When  he  does,  don't  fight  him  with  your  own 
opinions,  but  fight  him  with  John  vi.  37.  Let  that  be 
the  '  sword  of  the  Spirit.'  "  The  struggle  came  sooner 
than  I  thought.  When  he  was  on  his  way  home  the 
devil  assailed  him.  He  used  this  text,  but  the  devil  put 
this  thought  into  his  mind:  "How  do  you  know  Christ 
ever  said  that,  after  all  ?  Perhaps  the  translators  made 
a  mistake."  Into  darkness  he  went  again.  He  was  in 
trouble  till  about  two  in  the  morning.  At  last  he  came 
to  this  conclusion.  Said  he:  "I  will  believe  it  anyway; 
and  when  I  get  to  heaven,  if  it  isn't  true,  1  will  just  tell 
the  Lord  7"  didn't  make  the  mistake — the  translators 
made  it."  So  he  trusted  in  Him  who  His  own  self  bare 
our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree. 

Q.  Is  it  right  for  a  man  to  mourn  over  his  non-success 
in  preaching  if  he  fails  ?  A.  If  a  man  doesn't  have  any 
fruit  in  his  ministry,  he  may  well  mourn.  "  Herein  is 
My  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit."  But 
then,  if  a  man  delivers  the  message  faithfully,  and 
doesn't  see  any  fruit  after  one  sermon,  he  isn't  to  lash 


$2  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

himself  because  he  hasn't  got  power.  If  I  am  right  with 
God  there  will  be  fruit  to  my  labor. 

Q.  Is  the  aid  of  the  Spirit  ever  arbitrarily  withheld  ? 
A.  What  do  you  mean  ? 

Q.  Cannot  a  man  preach  faithfully  for  a  long  time  and 
still  see  no  fruit  ?  A.  Ah  !  but  don't  you  know  there 
is  sometimes  something  that  is  obstructing  the  work  of 
the  Spirit — like  a  row  in  a  church  choir?  The  Holy 
Spirit  can't  do  anything  in  a  church  that  has  got  a  row 
on  hand.  The  difficulty  with  a  great  many  churches  in 
this  land  is  that  there  are  so  many  old  stumps  in  the 
way  of  the  plough.  There  are  family  feuds — church- 
members  who  won't  speak  to  one  another.  How  is  the 
Spirit  of  God  going  to  work  there  ?  The  minister  blames 
himself ;  but  he  needn't,  except  for  one  thing  :  He  ought 
to  get  up  and  get  out.  I  wouldn't  waste  my  life  preach- 
ing to  a  church  like  that.  I'd  rather  go  into  a  city  and 
organize  a  church  of  my  own — get  men  off  the  streets. 

Q.  A  preacher  may  give  a  sermon  and  see  no  results 
at  the  time  ;  but  afterwards  he  may  go  into  families  and 
find  conviction  there — isn't  that  true  ?  Af  Yes  ;  there 
has  got  to  be  personal  work.  Sometimes  I  have  preached 
and  asked  people  to  raise  their  hands.  Not  a  soul.  Then 
1  have  gone  down  into  the  audience  and  said  to  some 
man,  "  Don't  you  want  to  become  a  Christian  ? " — and 
found  a  great  many  ready  to  be  talked  to.  Sometimes 
a  splendid  work  can  be  done  among  people  who  don't 
like  to  express  themselves  before  the  whole  audience. 
You  can't  always  tell.  But  there  are  times  when  you 
feel  as  if  you  were  preaching  against  a  brick  wall. 
There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  power  in  your  words. 
They  come  back  in  your  face.  The  people  are  not  in  a 
condition  to  receive  the  Word. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  persons  who  go  into  the 
inquiry-room  to  work,  and  yet  their  record  is  not  clean  ? 


A  CONVENTION  TALK.  53 

A.  I  wouldn't  have  them  there.  Some  of  the  inquirers 
would  be  likely  to  say,  "  Physician,  heal  thyself  " — "  Take 
the  beam  out  of  your  own  eye  before  you  try  to  take  out 
mine."  I  haven't  a  doubt  in  my  mind,  if  we  are  to  have 
earnest,  faithful,  honest  dealing  with  souls,  we  must  keep 
these  men  away  from  inquirers.  I  know  it  is  a  difficult 
thing  to  do,  but  I've  done  it  many  a  time.  If  there  is  a 
man  who  isn't  right,  just  go  to  him  and  say  that  he  must 
straighten  out  a  few  things  in  his  life  before  you  want 
him  there.  If  he  gets  angry,  that  settles  it — shows  he  is 
not  right.  But  if  it  breaks  him  down,  then  it  is  differ- 
ent. "  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend."  The  best 
friend  will  tell  you  your  faults.  If  I  haven't  got  grace 
enough  to  be  told  my  faults,  the  less  I  say  about  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  better.  Christ  was  always  telling 
His  disciples  their  faults. 

Q.  How  far  would  you  carry  your  instruction  from 
the  Bible,  aiming  at  conviction  ?  A.  A  man  ought  to  be 
able  to  handle  his  Bible,  and  give  as  many  passages  as 
he  thinks  are  needed. 

Q.  How  are  you  going  to  know  where  to  turn  the 
scale  ?  A.  If  a  man  acknowledges  himself  lost,  then  I 
go  on  another  line.  But  there  must  be  a  breaking 
first.  We  must  give  enough  of  the  law  to  take  away  all 
self-righteousness.  I  pity  the  man  who  preaches  only 
one  side  of  the  truth — always  the  Gospel  and  never  the 
law. 

Q.  Is  it  right  to  tell  an  inquirer  just  to  believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  be  saved,  and  leave  out  convic- 
tion ?  A.  I  don't  tell  a  man  to  feel  that  he  is  a  sinner 
before  God.  We  don't  feel  we  are  sinners  really  till 
afterward.  The  question  is:  "Do  you  believe  you  are 
lost — alienated  from  God — and  that  your  only  hope  is  in 
Another  ?  " 

Q.  Is  a  man  convicted  of  the  sin  of  drunkenness,  for 


54  D-   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

example,  by  any  other  means  than  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  A. 
No.  He  may  know  he  is  a  great  sinner,  but  yet  the 
Holy  Ghost  must  give  him  a  conviction  of  the  exceeding 
sinfulness  of  sin. 

Q.  Is  it  possible  for  a  man  who  has  been  convinced 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  keep  some  sins  ?  A.  If  he  doesn't 
know  they  are  sins,  yes.  But  the  next  thing  will  be,  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  show  him  that  they  are  sins.  His  con- 
science will  become  quickened,  and  he  will  get  light.  I 
did  a  great  many  things  twenty  years  ago  that  I  wouldn't 
do  now  any  more  than  I  would  stick  my  hand  into  the 
fire.  I  got  light.  Most  of  my  repentance  came  after  I 
knew  Christ.  I  never  saw  sin  in  its  exceeding  sinfulness 
till  I  knew  Christ.  The  first  thing  the  Spirit  of  God 
does  is  to  let  a  man  know  that  he  is  a  sinner.  If  the 
Spirit  has  taken  up  His  abode  in  his  heart,  he  sees  what 
an  awful  thing  sin  is — loathes  it,  hates  it.  Then  he  is 
ready  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ  who  came  to  put 
away  sin. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  is  the  greatest  sin  ?  A.  Un- 
belief. That  is  the  mother  of  all  sin.  There  wouldn't 
be  a  drunkard,  or  a  harlot,  or  a  thief,  or  a  murderer,  if  it 
wasn't  for  unbelief.  It  brought  forth  all  the  misery  in 
this  world.  Only  the  Holy  Ghost  can  convince  a  man  of 
that  sin. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MORE   ABOUT   PERSONAL   WORK. 

Mr.  Moody  on  Individual  Cases — Peculiar  Difficulties — The  Divinity 
of  Christ — About  Holding  On  and  Holding  Out — The  Weak  Ones 
— Are  Feelings  Safe  Guides? — Confessing  and  Forgiving — Ques- 
tions and  Answers. 

I  want  to  take  up  some  other  classes.  Here  in  New 
England  we  meet  a  great  many  who  are  troubled  about 
the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  Very  often  they  want  to 
discuss  the  question,  but  don't  discuss  it  with  them.  I 
have  never  known  any  good  to  come  that  way  ;  gener- 
ally you  are  farther  apart  at  the  end  than  at  the  begin- 
ning. I  would  just  give  them  the  Bible.  If  that  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  won't  help  them,  I  don't  know  what  will. 
There  are  several  passages  specially  adapted  for  this 
purpose.  Take  i  Cor.  xv.  47  :  "  The  first  man  is  of 
the  earth,  earthy  ;  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven."  That  is  Paul's  testimony.  Then  1  John  v.  20  : 
"We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,"  etc.  Some- 
times they  ask,  "Where  did  Christ  ever  say  He  was 
God  ?  "  Give  them  John  xvii.  3  :  "  This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  might  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent  "  Then  see  His  testimony 
before  the  high-priest,  in  Mark  xiv.  61,  62:  "Art  thou 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed  ?  And  Jesus  said,  I 
am,"  etc.  It  was  this  testimony  which  cost  Jesus  Christ 
His  life,  for  the  council  cast  a  verdict  of  guilty  of  blas- 
phemy, and  by  Jewish  law  the  penalty  of  that  crime  is 

(55) 


56  D.   L.    MOODY  AT  HOME. 

death.  He  made  out  that  He  was  more  than  man.  If 
He  was  not  what  He  claimed  to  be— if  He  was  a  mere 
man — then  it  is  idolatry  to  worship  Him.  It  is  breaking 
the  first  commandment, ."  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me."  I  ask  these  people,  "  Where  shall  we  put 
Him  ?  You  say  He  was  a  good  man,  but  how  can  that 
be,  if  He  tried  to  deceive  us  ?  If  He  was  not  what  He 
claimed  to  be,  He  must  have  been  an  impostor,  How 
could  He  be  a  good  man  and  let  us  make  Him  an  idol  ? 
Moses  and  Elijah  never  did  that,  and  was  He  less  good 
than  they  ?  If  He  was  a  bad  man,  then  it  is  very  strange 
that  He  should  have  forfeited  all  for  a  malefactor's 
cross  and  a  pauper's  grave."  He  declared  that  He  was 
equal  with  God,  in  John  v.  21,  22,  and  John  xvi.  15.  How 
could  a  good  man,  a  mere  man,  say  that  ?  He  declared 
that  He  was  omnipresent  in  Matt,  xviii.  20  and  xxviii.  20. 
Moses  and  Elijah  couldn't  have  said  that.  Look  at  John 
xiv.  6  :  "I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  :  no  man 
cometh  to  the  Father  but  by  Me."  No  mere  man  ever 
said  that.  Here  is  another  verse,  1  Matt,  xxviii.  t8  : 
"  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them  saying,  All  power  is 
given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  What  man  ever 
said  that  ?  Then  in  Mark  ii.  7,  after  He  had  forgiven 
the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  the  question  was  raised,  "  Why 
doth  this  man  speak  blasphemies  ?  Who  can  forgive 
sins  but  God  only  ? "  No  man  ever  claimed  such  power 
till  Christ  came.  Then,  again,  He  allowed  men  to  wor- 
ship Him.  No  good  man,  no  angel,  ever  allowed  himself 
to  be  worshipped.  If  any  man  had  done  so,  he  could  not 
have  been  a  good  man.  In  John  ix.  38,  the  blind  man 
who  had  received  his  sight,  said  ;  "Lord,  I  believe,"  and 
worshipped  the  Saviour. .  Christ  didn't  rebuke  him.  See 
Revelation  xxii.  8  :  "  And  I  John  saw  these  things,  and 
heard  them.  And  when  I  had  seen  and  heard,  I  fell  down 
to  worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  shewed  me 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  $7 

these  things.  Then  saith  he  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it 
not,  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant."  In  Acts  xiv.,  when 
Paul  and  Barnabas  healed  the  cripple  at  Lystra,  the  peo- 
ple came  bringing  sacrifices,  and  wanted  to  worship  them 
as  gods,  but  they  wouldn't  allow  it.  Yet  Christ  allowed 
men  to  worship  Him.  In  Matt.  xiv.  33  we  read  :  "Then 
they  that  were  in  the  ship  came  and  worshipped  Him, 
saying,  Of  a  truth  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God."  He  didn't 
rebuke  them.  In  Matt.  viii.  2  :  "  Behold,  there  came  a 
leper  and  worshipped  Him,  saying,  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt, 
Thou  canst  make  me  clean."  Again,  in  the  15th  chapter, 
in  the  story  of  the  woman  of  Canaan  (v.  25):  "Then 
came  she,  and  worshipped  Him,  saying,  Lord,  help  me  !  " 
There  are  many  other  passages,  but  I  give  you  these  to 
show  that  Christ  was  worshipped,  and  that  He  never  re- 
buked it.  He  claimed  to  be  God-man.  He  claimed  that 
He  was  before  the  morning  stars  sang  together.  "  Before 
Abraham  was,  I  am."  "  He  is  the  only-begotten  Son 
which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father."  And  how  men  can 
read  this  book  and  not  see  this,  is  a  mystery  to  me.  I  don't 
know  anything  that  will  do  these  people  more  good  than 
just  to  give  them  the  Word  of  God.  If  you  have  any 
one  troubled  about  the  divinity  of  Christ,  don't  com- 
plain and  scold  and  condemn  him,  and  then  leave  him. 
There  are  some  people  who,  if  they  saw  one  of  this 
class  in  our  inquiry-rooms,  would  say  :  "  Why  !  this  man 
doesn't  believe  Jesus  Christ  is  divine.  He  is  a  heathen. 
We  won't  talk  to  him  at  all."  Now,  that  isn't  the  way. 
Christ  was  constantly  dealing  with  men  that  had  the 
same  views.  How  tenderly  and  gently  He  dealt  with 
them.  And  how  are  we  going  to  deal  with  them  but  by 
showing  Christ  as  the  God-man  ?  Sometimes  the  part  of 
His  nature  we  see  is  human,  sometimes  not.  When  He 
commanded  the  waters  to  be  still,  and  the  winds  to  cease, 
He  spoke  as  God.  When  He  cried,  "My  God,  my 
3* 


58  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ? "  He  spoke  as  man. 
But  I  must  pass  on. 

"holding  out." 

A  great  many  are  afraid  they  won't  hold  out.  It  is  a 
good  thing  to  press  upon  these  people  that  they  haven't 
got  to  hold  on  to  Christ ;  it  is  Christ  holding  on  to  them. 
See  John  x.  28:  "I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out 
of  My  hand."  Then  you  can  use  Hebrews  vi.  18;  Isaiah 
xli.  10-13;  2  Cor.  i.  10;  the  121st  Psalm — "Hethatkeep- 
eth  thee  will  not  slumber  ";  2  Tim.  i.  12 — "  I  know  whom 

1  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Him  against  that  day  "; 

2  Tim.  iv.  18 — "The  Lord  shall  deliver  me  from  every 
evil  work,  and  will  preserve  me  unto  His  heavenly  king- 
dom." What  is  it  that  protects  the  crown  of  Victoria? 
It  is  the  army.  The  army  keeps  the  crown  perfectly 
safe.  I  remember  in  London  holding  meetings  in  the 
East-End,  and  as  we  were  going  along  the  streets  one 
night,  we  met  some  soldiers  marching.  I  said:  "Where 
are  those  soldiers  going?"  "They  are  going  to  the 
Bank  of  England."  It  was  the  law  of  the  land  that  just 
as  soon  as  the  sun  went  down,  a  certain  number  of  sol- 
diers went  to  the  Bank  of  England  and  stayed  there  till 
daybreak.  That  made  the  bank  perfectly  safe.  There 
was  no  chance  for  thieves  to  get  in  there.  So,  if  our  life 
is  hid  in  Christ,  how  are  the  powers  of  darkness  going 
to  get  at  it  ?  Oh,  the  security  of  the  believer  in  Christ, 
if  we  only  trust  Him — that  is  all  we  want.  What  we 
want  is  to  believe  He  is  able  to  keep.  What  we  want 
is  just  to  trust  Him.  In  2  Cor.  i.  10,  we  find  three  "  de- 
livers " — "  Who  delivered  us  from  so  great  a  death,  and 
doth  deliver :  in  whom  we  trust,  that  He  will yet  deliver  us ." 
A  great  many  people  are  troubled  about  the  future.   God 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  59 

will  take  care  of  the  future.     What  they  want  is  to  trust 
Him  to-day. 

THOSE    WHO   FEEL   WEAK. 

Another  class  of  people  say  they  haven't  got  strength. 
Well;  it  is  a  good  thing  they  haven't.  The  weaker  we 
are  the  better.  What  is  faith  ?  "  Our  weakness  leaning 
on  God's  strength."  It  is  a  good  thing  for  one  to  wake 
up  to  his  own  weakness.  "  I  am  as  weak  as  water,"  says 
some  one.  Then  God  can  hold  you.  That  is  the  way 
God's  grace  is  magnified.  I  remember  when  we  were  in 
New  York- -in  the  Hippodrome — there  was  a  poor  mis- 
erable man  in  the  inquiry-meetings;  and  a  good  Chris- 
tian lady  was  toiling  and  working  with  that  poor  fellow. 
After  she  had  explained  to  him  the  way,  the  man  went 
out  into  the  great  city.  In  those  days  we  had  scrip  for 
small  currency,  and  as  this  man  put  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  he  found  ten  cents.  He  hadn't  been  able  to  carry 
so  much  money  in  his  pocket  for  many  years.  He 
couldn't  pass  a  saloon  if  he  had  any  money — some  in- 
sane power  would  seize  him  and  he  would  spend  every 
cent  for  whiskey.  As  he  took  out  this  bit  of  paper  he 
just  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  enable  him  to  hold 
on  to  that  ten  cents  for  twenty-four  hours;  then  he  would 
have  no  more  doubt  that  God  was  .able  to  keep  him. 
And  he  did  hold  on  to  the  money.  Next  day  he  came 
into  the  meeting,  told  the  story,  and  held  up  the  scrip  as 
a  token  that  God  was  keeping  him.  Every  time  I  go  to 
New  York,  I  ask,  "  How  is  the  ten-cent  man  getting  on  ?" 
and  Mr.  McBurney  always  tells  me  he  is  getting  on  first- 
rate.  If  you  feel  you  haven't  any  strength,  remember 
the  weaker  you-  are  the  better.  What  is  it  that  holds 
that  little  vine  all  the  way  up,  seventy  or  a  hundred  feet 
above  the  ground  ?  It  can't  stand  alone.  It  is  the  great 
oak  it  is  clinging  to  that  holds  it  up.    If  we  just  lay  hold 


60  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

of  the  Cross  it  will  hold  us.  Any  man  that  belongs  to  a 
strong  government  can  stand,  can't  he  ?  Our  ambassa- 
dors can  stand  in  foreign  courts  with  a  great  government 
back  of  them.  I  have  a  great  admiration  for  the  Irish- 
man who  said  it  didn't  matter  how  weak  he  was  as  long 
as  he  had  a  rock  to  stand  on.  If  you  make  the  Cross 
your  foundation  you  are  going  to  stand. 

FEELINGS. 

Then  there  is  another  class  that  are  in  great  trouble 
about  their  feelings.  They  are  afraid  they  don't  feel 
right,  or  don't  feel  enough.  So  they  get  into  doubt,  and 
the  devil  will  keep  them  on  that  plank  for  a  few  weeks, 
and  then  let  them  down  into  the  pit  again.  I  want  to  say 
there  isn't  a  word  about  feeling  in  the  Scriptures  in  ref- 
erence to  salvation.  It  doesn't  say,  "He  that  feeleth." 
It  is  "he  that  believeth."  Not  one  word  about  feeling. 
I  do  a  great  many  things  that  I  don't  feel  like  doing. 
Obedience  means  marching  right  on  whether  we  feel 
like  it  or  not.  Many  times  we  go  against  our  feelings. 
Faith  is  one  thing;  feeling  is  another.  What  was  it  that 
made  the  slaves  free  ?  Was  it  their  feelings  ?  Suppose 
they  had  tried  it — just  imagined  they  were  free  and  acted 
on  that  feeling.  They  would  very  soon  have  heard  the 
crack  of  the  slave-driver's  whip.  No;  it  was  Abraham 
Lincoln's  proclamation.  Now,  the  proclamation  of  the 
Gospel  is  :  "  He  that  believeth  ....  hath  everlasting 
life."  I  remember  some  years  ago — oh,  how  I  used  to 
pray  for  feeling  !  I  thought  faith  was  feeling,  and  that 
some  strange  kind  of  feeling  would  come  stealing  over  me. 
But  it  wasn't  that  at  all.  Then  I  found  in  Romans  x.  17, 
this  text — and  how  it  came  upon  me  like  a  flash  of  light — 
"  Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of 
God."  Sometimes  we  go  right  against  our  feelings.  I 
remember  once  when  I  went  to  Cleveland — I  had  been 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  6l 

eighteen  years  in  Chicago,  and  when  I  got  to  Cleveland 
I  found  Lake  Erie  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  city.  I 
was  completely  turned  around.  The  sun  rose  in  the 
West  and  set  in  the  East  all  the  time  I  was  there.  If  I 
had  gone  according  to  my  feelings,  I  would  have  gone 
right  into  Lake  Erie  and  been  drowned  for  it.  But  I 
didn't  go  according  to  my  feelings;  I  went  according  to 
knowledge.  Knowledge  is  better  than  feelings.  One 
time  I  went  across  the  corner  of  this  county,  and  I  was 
driving  along  some  roads  where  I  had  never  been  before. 
When  I  had  got,  as  I  thought,  within  about  five  miles  of 
Conway,  I  began  to  think:  "Now,  you  are  going  accord- 
ing to  your  feelings.  Hadn't  you  better  have  a  little 
knowledge  about  this  thing  ? "  So  I  reined  up  to  the  first 
house  and  called:  "  Hello,  there  !  "  The  man  came  out; 
and  when  I  asked  him  about  the  road  I  found  that  in- 
stead of  going  to  Conway,  I  was  going  right  away  from 
it.  First  I  thought  the  man  was  wrong.  Then  I  thought: 
"  This  man  has  lived  here  for  years.  He  knows  the  way 
better  than  I  do."  So  I  turned  around  and  drove  my 
horse  right  against  my  feelings.  Don't  mind  your  feel- 
ings. Let  feelings  take  care  of  themselves.  What  you 
want  is  to  obey.  When  people  begin  talking  about  their 
feelings,  bring  them  right  to  Scripture. 

Q.  Have  we  not  feeling  in  these  two  passages:  "With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness  ";  and  Philip 
to  the  eunuch — "  If  thou  believest  with  all  thine  heart, 
thou  mayest."  A.  That  isn't  feeling,  is  it  ?  You  may 
believe  with  all  the  heart  without  feeling.  Suppose  I 
send  my  boy  for  a  pail  of  water.  He  may  not  feel  like 
it,  but  he  goes  whether  he  feels  like  it  or  not.   He  obeys. 

Q.  Has  the  heart  anything  to  do  with  feeling?  A. 
A  man  may  have  feeling  or  may  not.  What  God  wants 
is  strict  obedience.  I  can't  always  feel  just  as  I  want 
to.     If  I  could  I  wouldn't  have  the  toothache,  wouldn't 


62  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

have  a  headache,  wouldn't  have  a  pain  in  my  body.  I 
can't  control  my  .feelings.  The  devil  can  play  upon 
them  as  on  a  harp  with  a  thousand  strings.  But  there 
is  one  thing  I  can  do.  By  the  grace  of  God  I  can  obey. 
A  great  many  men  are  waiting  for  feeling,  but  feeling 
never  saves,  and  the  most  unsatisfactory  Christians  are 
those  who  are  governed  altogether  by  their  sentiments. 

Q.  Doesn't  it  say,  we  are  to  believe  with  the  whole 
heart  ?  A.  I  think  the  whole  heart  means  the  whole 
man — hands,  feet,  mind  and  everything.  We  are  not  to 
wait  for  feeling.  I  heard  of  a  man  who  was  lying  under 
a  tree  on  a  very  cold  day,  and  some  one  asked  him  what 
he  was  doing  there.  Says  he:  "I  am  waiting  till  I  feel 
warm  enough  to  get  up,  and  then  I  will  cut  down  this 
tree."  If  he  had  got  right  up  and  gone  on  cutting,  he 
would  soon  have  been  warm  enough.  In  every  case 
where  Christ  healed  the  infirm,  it  was  act  first  and  get 
feeling  afterward.  He  said  to  the  man  with  the  withered 
arm,  "  Stretch  forth  thine  hand."  The  man  didn't  stop 
to  find  out  whether  he  was  believing  with  all  his  heart 
or  half  his  heart.  He  just  stretched  out  his  arm,  and 
the  Lord  healed  him  right  there.  He  said  to  Zaccheus, 
"  Come  down."  Zaccheus  didn't  say,  "  I  don't  feel  right, 
Lord."  The  .Lord  had  said,  "Come  down."  That 
brought  him.  What  God  wants  is  obedience.  What 
men  are  to  do  is  to  surrender  their  will — do  what  God 
tells  them,  and  let  feelings  take  care  of  themselves. 

Q.  Where  does  repentance  come  in  ?  A.  What  is  repent- 
ance? Turning  around.  A  great  many  people  are  all 
the  time  analyzing  their  feelings.  It  is  a  great  deal  bet- 
ter just  to  look  at  the  Master,  and  obey  Him.  Feeling 
comes  —  repentance  comes  —  after  we  have  received 
Christ.  A  soldier  once  said  that  according  to  his  idea 
repentance  was  :  "  Halt !  Attention  !  Right  about  face  ! 
March  ! "     That  is  about  the  best  definition  of  repent- 


MORE  ABOUT   PERSONAL  WORK.  63 

ance.  "  Attention  !  "—listen  to  God.  "  Turn  !  "— "  why- 
will  ye  die  ? "  If  I  am  not  going  toward  God,  but 
going  the  opposite  way,  the  quicker  I  turn  about  the 
better.  Conviction  is  not  repentance.  A  man  may  go 
right  straight  on  and  know  he  is  wrong. 

Q.  Which  is  the  best  to  rest  upon  for  your  salvation, 
feelings  or  the  Word  of  God?  A.  The  Word  of  God. 
Because  the  devil  can  move  my  feelings  at  his  will. 
He  can  make  me  feel  different  twenty  times  a  day. 

Q.  In  repentance  isn't  sorrow  involved  ?  A.  A  man 
may  be  very  sorry  and  not  repent.  There  are  a  great 
many  men  in  Auburn  Prison  who  are  sorry  enough  that 
what  they  have  done  has  brought  them  there  ;  but  if 
they  got  out,  they  would  do  the  same  thing  right  over 
again. 

Q.  What  about  the  text,  "Godly  sorrow  leadeth  to 
repentance  "  ?  That  is  for  Christians.  How  can  a  man 
have  godly  sorrow  before  there  is  anything  godly  in 
him  ?  With  me — grief  on  account  of  sin  didn't  come 
till  I  knew  Christ.  Then  I  had  sorrow  for  sin.  When 
you  tell  a  man  that  he  has  got  to  feel  sorry  for  sin,  you 
are  putting  something  between  that  man  and  God. 
The  cry  is,  "  Turn  ye,  turn  ye  ! "  I  have  seen  men  in 
the  inquiry -room  crying  because  they  were  not  anxious 
enough.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  thing !  The 
devil  tells  them  they  must  be  sorry  before  they  can 
come  to  God.  My  commission  is  to  command  all  men' 
everywhere  to  repent.  If  a  man  is  willing  to  let  Christ 
reign  in  his  heart,  that  is  all  God  wants.  Let  that  man 
know  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  sorrow  will  come.  Get  men 
to  Christ,  and  repentance  will  take  care  of  itself.  In  Scot- 
land they  used  to  ask  such  questions  as  these  when  per- 
sons applied  to  join  the  Church  :  "  Have  you  repented 
enough  ?  Have  you  felt  your  sins  enough  ?  Do  you 
feel  as  worthless  as  that  toad  ?     If  you  don't  you  can't 


64  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

come."  That  was  put  into  a  book  and  used  in  Scot- 
land, where  they  hedged  the  Lord's  table  around  and 
thought  people  couldn't  join  the  Church  till  they  were 
about  so  old.  I  believe  Heaven  is  the  natural  right  of 
every  soul  in  this  community.  They  may  have  Christ 
this  very  hour  if  they  will.  We  want  to  hold  Jesus 
Christ  up,  and  nothing  else. 

believers'  sins. 

Now,  there  is  another  class  who  are  afraid  that  they 
will  sin  again.  But  who  doesn't  sin  again  ?  It  isn't  a 
sign  that  a  man  isn't  converted  if  he  falls  into  sin.  On 
the  contrary,  he  is  more  likely  to  realize  his  sinful  na- 
ture after  conversion  than  before.  I  am  ashamed  to  tell 
it,  but  before  I  was  converted,  I  got  so  I  could  swear  and 
it  didn't  trouble  my  conscience.  But  after  I  knew  Jesus 
Christ,  when  one  time  I  got  an  oath  out  of  my  mouth, 
it  cost  me  more  sorrow  and  agony  than  I  can  describe. 
For  months  I  never  got  over  it.  I  have  never  done  it 
since.  Before,  when  I  swore,  I  never  thought  about  it. 
Now,  how  could  I  utter  such  words  ?  My  Saviour  has 
done  so  much  for  me  that  I  don't  want  to  grieve  His 
heart.  Some  young  converts  say,  "  I  am  afraid  I  have 
sinned  again,  and  I  can  never  be  a  Christian."  Let 
such  as  these  turn  to  the  ist  Epistle  of  John,  2d 
chapter  :  "  My  little  children,  these  things  write  I  unto 
-you  that  ye  sin  not.  And  if  any  man  sin,  we  have 
an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  right- 
eous." I  don't  want  to  make  light  of  sin,  but  it  is  to 
me  a  comforting  thought  that  my  Master  has  made 
provision  for  my  sin.  This  was  written  in  John's  old 
age,  when  he  knew  well  enough  by  his  own  experience 
whether  the  Christian  sins  or  not.  So  he  tells  us  that 
Christ  is  gone  up  on  high  as  a  priest.  He  was  here  as 
a  prophet,  now  He  is  a  priest.     His  office  is  to  intercede 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  65 

for  our  sins.  When  I  go  wrong  it  is  useless  to  try  to 
justify  myself ;  but  T  can  go  into  my  closet  and  tell  it 
all  out,  and  it  is  all  settled — all  put  away.  See  1  John 
i.  10  :  "  If  we  say  that  we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  Him 
a  liar."  We  have  all  sinned.  When  you  tell  an  uncon- 
verted person  who  wants  to  become  a  Christian  that  he 
is  to  live  without  sin,  you  discourage  him.  Of  course 
that  is  his  aim — that  is  his  object.  But  if  he  does  fall 
into  sin  afterward,  he  is  likely  to  say,  "  Oh,  I  am  not 
converted  at  all."  How  the  devil  tormented  me,  and 
told  me  I  was  not  converted  because  I  did  things  I 
loathed  and  hated.  I  didn't  understand  that  I  had  a 
battle  on  hand — that  I  had  the  old  Adam  still  in  my  na- 
ture. "The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the 
spirit  against  the  flesh."  I  thought  when  I  became  a 
Christian  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  just  to  lay  my  oars  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  float  along.  But  I  soon 
found  that  I  would  have  to  go  against  the  current.  And 
then  it  was  such  a  sweet  thought  that  I  had  got  One  to 
represent  me,  so  that  when  I  sinned  I  could  go  to  Him 
as  my  Advocate;  and,  thank  God,  He  never  lost  a  case 
yet.  Just  commit  the  whole  case  to  Him.  He  will  take 
good  care  of  it. 

CONFESSING    AND    FORGIVING. 

There  is  another  point:  Very  often  a  young  convert 
will  go  off  with  a  light  heart,  full  of  ecstasy  and  joy, 
and  then  inside  of  twenty-four  hours  you  will  find  him 
in  great  darkness.  He  thinks  he  hasn't  been  converted. 
If  you  don't  know  how  to  use  the  Bible,  and  know  the 
workings  of  that  man's  heart,  he  will  remain  in  dark- 
ness. Now  I  have  found  that  there  are  two  reason s-^-it 
is  always  one  of  two  reasons  that  has  brought  him  into 
bondage.  One  is  that  he  is  ashamed  to  go  home  and 
confess  Christ,  and  the  other  is  that  there  is  some  one 


66  D.   L.   MOODY   AT  HOME. 

he  cannot  forgive.  I  have  never  seen  it  to  fail  in  my 
life.  You  can  use  Rom.  x.  9-1 1 :  "If  thou  shalt  confess 
with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in 
thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead, 
thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness;  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is 
made  unto  salvation.  For  the  Scripture  saith,  Whoso- 
ever believeth  on  Him  shall  not  be  ashamed."  Now, 
if  a  man  is  ashamed,  don't  you  see  darkness  comes; 
and  he  will  never  get  into  the  light  till  he  is  ready 
to  confess  Jesus  Christ.  Then,  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  our  Saviour  teaches  the  great  doctrine  of  for- 
giveness. If  the  Holy  Spirit  reveals  some  one  who 
has  got  aught  against  me,  or  I  have  got  aught  against 
him,  and  I  am  not  ready  to  forgive,  of  course  dark- 
ness will  fall.  It  will  help  these  young  converts  a  great 
deal  to  show  them  the  18th  chapter  of  Matthew  on  the 
question  of  forgiveness;  and  the  10th  of  Romans  on 
being  willing  to  confess  Christ. 

UNBELIEF. 

I  want  to  say  a  word  right  here  about  unbelief.  Some 
people  tell  me  that  it  is  a  hard  thing  when  I  say  that 
unbelief  is  the  greatest  sin — greater  than  blasphem)', 
drunkenness,  and  the  like.  But  just  turn  to  1  John  v.  9, 
10:  "If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of 
God  is  greater:  for  this  is  the  witness  of  God,  which 
He  hath  testified  of  His  Son.  .  .  .  He  that  believeth  not 
God  hath  made  Him  a  liar,  because  he  believeth  not  the 
record  that  God  gave  of  His  Son.  .  .  .  He  that  hath  the 
Son  hath  life,  and  He  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God 
hath  not  the  life."  You  can't  offer  a  man  a  greater  in- 
sult than  to  accuse  him  of  telling  a  wilful  lie.  Many  a 
man  has  been  knocked  down  because  he  called  another 
man  a  liar.  That  is  the  sin  of  unbelief  ;  giving  God  the 
lie — calling  Him  a  liar. 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  67 


"I   CANT   BELIEVE. 

There  is  another  class.     Some  persons  say,  "  I  can't 
believe."    I  like  to  press  them  on  this  point.    I  was  once 
talking  with  a  man,  and  he  said,  "  I  can't  believe."   Said 
I,  "Who?"  "  But  I  can't  believe."  "Who?"    "You  don't 
understand  my  case.     I  can't  believe."     "  Who  ?"     The 
man  began  to  color  and  squirm  around,  and  he  said, 
"  Mine  is  a  peculiar  case.    I  can't  believe."  "  Who  ?"   The 
man  became  more  and  more  embarrassed,  and  said  he: 
"  You  don't  understand  my  case  at  all.     I  have  a  great 
many  intellectual  difficulties.     There  are  a  great  many 
things  I  can't  believe."     I  kept  on  asking  "Who,"  and 
finally  the  man  broke  down,  and  said*  "I  can't  believe 
myself."    "  Thank  God  for  that !  "    When  a  man  says  he 
can't  believe,  the  question  is  whether  he  can  believe  the 
Lord,  and  I  just  press  him  on  that  one  point.    I  challenge 
any  infidel  to  put  his  finger  on  any  promise  which  God 
has  not  kept.     For  6,000  years  the  devil  has  been  trying 
to  find  that  God  has  broken  His  word.     What  a  jubilee 
there  would  be  in  hell  to-day  if  they  found  God  had 
broken  His  word  !  Didn't  He  keep  His  word  with  Adam, 
and  Abraham,  and  Moses  ?    Isn't  every  Jew  a  monument 
of  God's  word  ?   "  Come,  my  friend,"  you  can  say;  "  did 
you  ever  know  Him  to  break  His  word  ? "     Press  the 
unbeliever  on  that  point.     It  is  so  easy.     A  man  said  to 
me  once:  "I  think  the  doctrine  you  preach  is  the  most 
unreasonable  I  ever  heard."   "  What  part  ?  "   "  Why,  you 
teach  that  pernicious  doctrine,  that  a  man  is  saved  by 
simply  believing."    "Yes,"  says  I;  "thank  God  I  do.    It 
is  Scripture,  and  I  try  to  preach  Scripture."    "  But,"  says 
the  man,  "  it  is  against  reason."   "  I  can't  help  that.    God 
is  above  reason."     Says  the  man:   "I  don't  see  how  any 
rational  man  can  stand  up  before  an  audience  and  say 
they  are  saved  by  simply  believing,  when  a  man's  life  is 


68  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

not  affected  by  what  he  believes."  "  Is  that  your  diffi- 
culty ?  "  I  said.  "  I  can  show  you  in  three  minutes  that 
you  are  affected  by  what  you  believe.  If  some  one  came 
and  shouted  that  this  building  was  on  fire,  and  you  and 
I  believed  it,  we  would  get  up  and  get  out  pretty  quick, 
wouldn't  we?"  "Yes."  "  Then  I  suppose  you  can't  deny 
that  you  are  affected  by  what  you  believe  ?"  If  a  man 
believes  this  Book,  it  will  change  his  life  quicker  than 
anything  else. 


^Sometimes  a  person  will  say:  "You  can't  make  me 
believe  a  man  can  be  saved  all  at  once."  Well;  as  I 
read  the  Bible,  I  don't  see  how  a  man  can  be  saved  in 
any  other  way.  If  you  take  a  gift,  there  must  be  a  min- 
ute when  you  haven't  taken  the  gift  and  another  minute 
when  you  have.  There  must  be  a  minute  when  you  take 
it.  In  passing  from  one  territory  to  another,  there 
must  be  a  minute  when  you  cross  the  line.  Take  the 
cases  of  the  men  converted  under  Christ ;  weren't  they 
instantaneous  ?  M  Ah,"  you  say,  "  but  that  is  when  Christ 
was  on  earth."  Then  come  to  the  days  of  the  Apostles. 
When  Peter  preached  at  Pentecost  there  were  3,000  con- 
verted in  one  day.  Then,  again,  at  Caesarea,  when  Peter 
preached  to  the  Centurion  and  his  family  and  friends, 
they  were  all  baptized  that  very  day.  First  came  in  the 
Jews,  then  the  Gentiles;  and  as  soon  as  the  door  was 
opened  to  the  Gentiles  they  came  in  with  a  rush.  You 
just  want  to  take  Scripture,  and  when  one  doesn't  be- 
lieve that  sinners  can  be  converted  all  at  once,  the  best 
thing  is  to  go  right  to  these  instances  of  immediate  con- 
version recorded  in  the  Bible.  You  will  find  plenty  of 
them. 

Q.  Wasn't    Zaccheus    converted    instantly  ?     A.  Yes. 
As  soon  as  he  heard  the  word  of  Jesus  he  came  down 


MORE  ABOUT   PERSONAL  WORK.  69 

from  the  tree.  I  don't  know  just  the  moment  of  his  con- 
version. I  suppose  it  must  have  been  somewhere  be- 
tween the  branches  and  the  ground.  It  was  very  quick, 
I  know. 

There  isn't  any  subject  I  am  more  interested  in  than 
this  personal  dealing  with  individuals.  Just  preach 
Christ,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  will  bear  witness.  When 
you  are  talking  with  an  inquirer,  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
get  him  on  his  knees.  But  don't  get  him  there  before 
he  is  ready.  You  may  have  to  talk  with  him  two  hours 
before  you  can  get  him  that  far  along.  But  when  you 
think  he  is  about  ready,  you  can  say,  "Sha'n't  we  ask 
God  to  give  us  light  on  this  point  ? "  Sometimes  a  few 
minutes  in  prayer  have  done  more  for  a  man  than  two 
hours  in  talk.  But  there  is  great  danger  in  trying  to  get 
a  man  on  his  knees  before  he  is  that  far  on.  When  the 
Spirit  of  God  has  led  him  so  far  that  he  is  willing  to 
have  you  pray  with  him,  he  is  not  very  far  from  the 
kingdom. 

Q.  Would  you  ask  a  man  to  pray  for  himself  ?  A.  I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing  in  dealing  with  inquirers  to  get 
their  lips  open  on  their  knees.  If  they  don't  want  to 
pray,  make  a  prayer  and  get  them  to  repeat  it.  Make  an 
easy  prayer,  or  take  one  of  the  short  prayers  of  the  Bible; 
for  example,  "  Lord,  help  me  !  "  Tell  the  man:  "  If  the 
Lord  helped  that  poor  heathen  woman,  He  will  help  you 
if  you  make  the  same  prayer.  He  will  change  your  heart 
if  you  make  it  from  the  heart."  I  don't  send  a  man  home 
to  pray.  Of  course  he  should  pray  at  home,  but  I  would 
rather  get  his  lips  open  in  the  inquiry-room.  It  is  a  good 
thing  for  a  man  to  hear  his  own  voice  in  prayer.  It  is 
a  good  thing  for  him  to  cry  out,  "God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner  !  " 

Q.  In  your  experience  what  has  been  the  most  fre- 
quent turning-point  of  the  soul  ?    Isn't  it  when  the  man 


JO  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

is  on  his  knees  ?  A.  It  is  when  the  man  says,  "  I  will." 
It  is  the  surrender  of  the  will.  The  battle  is  fought  on  the 
will.  Very  often  the  act  of  getting  on  his  knees  has  an 
effect  on  the  man's  will ;  but  generally  the  will  is  given 
up  before  he  gets  there.  There  should  be  more  preach- 
ing on  the  will !  Men  don't  act  up  to  the  light  they  have 
got.  Tens  of  thousands  know  the  way  to  the  kingdom, 
but  they  don't  want  to  give  up  the  will. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  preaching  to  the  heart  ?  A.  If 
I  have  had  any  success  it  has  been  in  going  right  to  the 
heart — not  at  the  head.  Others  may  thunder  away  at 
the  head  all  they  want  to:  I  would  rather  get  a  man's 
heart  right  than  his  head.  The  shortest  way  to  a  man's 
heart  is  the  best  way  of  preaching. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  to  a  professed  convert  who 
can't  forgive  somebody  ?  A.  I  wouldn't  give  a  snap  of 
my  finger  for  his  hope.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  a 
man  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ  if  he  doesn't  cultivate  the 
spirit  of  forgiveness. 

Q.  Wouldn't  you  empty  a  church  if  you  preached 
that  ?    A.  Yes  ;  and  fill  it  up  with  other  people. 

Q.  How  do  you  explain  that  word  ?  believe  "  ?  Isn't 
the  belief  spoken  of  partly  intellectual  ?  A.  It  is  sub- 
mission of  the  will.  I  might  sayl  "Will  you  take  this 
horse?  It  is  worth  $1,000."  You  might  believe  my 
offer  ;  but  it  wouldn't  do  you  any  good  if  you  didn't  take 
the  horse.  I  might  believe  the  proclamation  of  salva- 
tion, but  that  alone  would  do  me  no  good.  I  have  got 
to  appropriate  it. 

Q.  For  the  inquiry  work  how  do  you  get  trained 
workers  ?  A.  Go  right  to  work  to  get  them  and  train 
them. 

Q.  When  would  you  train  them  ?  A.  Whenever  you 
can.  At  the  prayer-meeting  is  a  good  time.  Turn  the 
prayer-meeting  for  a  while  right  into  a  training-class 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  71 

By-and-by  this  man  and  that  woman  will  catch  the 
spirit,  and  you  will  have  a  band  of  workers.  It  is  a 
thing  to  weep  over  that  we  have  got  thousands  and 
thousands  of  church-members  who  are  good  for  nothing 
towards  extending  the  Church  of  God.  They  under- 
stand bazaars,  and  fairs,  and  sewing-circles,  and  all  that 
kind  of  work  ;  but  when  you  ask  them  to  sit  down  and 
show  that  man  or  woman  the  way  into  God's  kingdom, 
they  say  :  "  Oh,  I  am  not  able  to  do  that.  Let  the  deacons 
do  it,  or  some  one  else."  It  is  all  wrong.  The  Church 
ought  to  be  educated  on  this  very  point. 

Q.  When  would  you  have  the  inquiry-meeting  ?  A.  I 
think  there  ought  to  be  three  kinds  of  services  in  all  the 
churches.  One  service  is  just  to  worship  —  to  offer 
praise,  and  to  wait  on  the  Lord  in  prayer.  Another 
service  is  for  teaching.  The  great  lack  of  this  country 
is  teaching.  At  this  kind  of  service  there  needn't  be  a 
word  to  the  unconverted,  but  let  it  be  for  the  church 
people.  We  want  to  get  the  church  up  on  a  higher 
plane.  Let  there  be  teaching  out  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
the  church  will  grow.  Sunday  morning  is  the  best  time 
for  teaching.  Sunday  afternoon  is  the  best  time  in  cities 
for  Sunday-schools.  But  Sunday  night  is  the  best  night 
in  the  whole  week  to  preach  the  simple  Gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God.  When  you  have  preached  that,  and  felt 
the  power  of  the  unseen  world,  and  there  are  souls 
trembling  in  the  balance,  don't  say,  as  I  have  heard 
good  ministers  say :  "If  there  are  any  in  this  place  con- 
cerned— at  all  concerned — about  their  souls,  I  will  be  in 
the  pastor's  study  on  Friday  night,  and  will  be  glad  to 
see  them."  By  that  time  the  chances  are  the  impression 
will  be  all  wiped  out.  The  devil  will  snatch  away  the 
seed.  How  is  it  at  most  of  our  evening  services  ?  The 
minister  preaches  the  Gospel  with  great  effect ,  then  he 
pronounces  the  benediction  ;  the  music  strikes  up,  and 


72  D.   L.   MOODY  AT   HOME. 

the  golden  opportunity  is  lost.  I  tell  you,  we  want  a 
revolution  in  this  thing  !  We  are  not  making  any  in- 
roads upon  the  unconverted.  A  great  many  churches  in 
this  country  hardly  expect  to  gain  in  numbers.  If  they 
hold  their  own  they  think  they  are  doing  pretty  well. 
A  gentleman  said  not  long  ago  :  "  We  have  had  the 
most  successful  year  we  ever  had.  We  have  paid  all  the 
bills,  and  have  several  hundred  dollars  in  the  church 
treasury."  "  How  many  conversions  ?  "  "I  don't  know. 
You  mustn't  ask  me  about  that.  But  we  have  paid  our 
pastor's  salary,  and  are  out  of  debt.  We  have  had  a 
very  good  year."  That  is  what  is  called  prosperity. 
Some  people  have  an  idea  that  inquiry-meetings  are — 
oh,  well,  a  sort  of  meetings  evangelists  have,  a  sort  of 
new-fangled  notion,  and  all  that.  I  don't  believe  a  man 
can  preach  the  simple  Gospel  faithfully  anywhere  in  this 
country  and  not  have  inquirers  inside  of  thirty  days, 
and  there  will  be  those  added  to  the  Church  daily  of 
such  as  shall  be  saved. 

But  then  if  you  are  going  to  hold  an  inquiry-meeting 
there  is  one  way  to  kill  it.  I  remember  when  we  went 
to  Edinburgh,  I  wanted  to  start  an  inquiry-meeting. 
One  of  my  friends  said  :  "  Well,  you  know,  Mr.  Moody, 
the  Scotch  people  don't  like  inquiry-meetings.  It  is  an 
American  idea.  It  doesn't  take  with  the  Scotch  people. 
We  tried  it,  and  utterly  failed."  I  said  :  "  I  needn't  tell 
you  how  you  tried.  You  said  :  '  If  there  is  any  one 
that  would  like  to  engage  in  religious  conversation,  will 
you  go  into  the  pastor's  study/  You  called  that  out  be- 
fore the  whole  congregation,  and  made  people  uneasy. 
That  is  the  way  not  to  get  any  one.  You  couldn't  have 
done  anything  better  calculated  to  kill  the  meeting." 
Take  this  way  :  Put  the  "  if  "  in  the  right  place.  You 
remember  the  case  of  the  father  who  wanted  Christ  to 
cast  the  dumb-spirit  out  of  his  son.     He  said,  "If  thou 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  73 

canst  do  anything";  but  the  Lord  answered  him,  "If 
thou  canst  believe."  Christ  got  the  "  if  "  straightened 
out.  There  was  a  prominent  minister  in  New  York  city 
— a  good  man  too — and  one  of  his  elders  said  to  him: 
"Why  can't  we  have  an  inquiry-meeting?  It  seems  to 
me  we  might  have  a  great  many  converts  just  now." 
The  minister  said:  "Well;  just  to  please  you  I  will  try 
one,  but  I  don't  believe  any  one  will  come  to  it."  So 
the  next  night  he  announced  that  if  there  were  any  per- 
sons concerned  about  their  souls,  the  session  would  be 
in  the  session-room,  and  meet  them.  Why  !  he  might 
as  well  have  asked  them  to  go  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  Asking  an  awakened  soul  to  go  before  the  whole 
session  !  If  you  want  to  get  these  people  to  talk  with 
you,  put  yourself  in  their  way,  and  make  it  easy  for 
them  to  come  and  see  you. 

When  you  give  the  invitation,  be  careful  how  you 
do  it.  After  you  have  preached  twenty  or  thirty  minutes 
— and  here  let  me  say  it  is  a  good  thing  to  stop  before 
people  think  it  is  time  to  close  ;  then  they  are  willing  to 
stay  longer,  they  are  not  worn  out — after  a  short  sermon 
I  would  say  :  "  If  any  one  has  got  to  go,  will  you  please 
rise  and  go,  while  we  sing  this  familiar  hymn."  Put  the 
"  if  "  in  the  right  place.  A  few  will  drop  out.  You  have 
got  nearly  the  whole  audience  there.  Then  I  would  give 
the  notice  a  second  time — "  If  there  is  any  one  that  has 
got  to  go,  will  you  go  while  we  are  singing  this  hymn, 
so  as  not  to  disturb  us  in  the  after-meeting.  There  are 
two  classes  we  want  to  remain.  We  want  the  Chris- 
tians that  are  willing  to  talk  to  some  of  these  unsaved 
ones.  And  then  if  there  is  any  one  that  has  got  the 
least  desire  to  become  a  Christian,  we  want  you  to  re- 
main." Sing  a  little.  Have  one  or  two  prayers — special 
prayers  for  those  people  then  and  there.  Pass  among 
the  people,  and  if  it  is  your  own  congregation,  say  : 
4 


74  D-   L-   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

"Brother  Brown,  won't  you  speak  to  this  man";  and, 
"Brother  Jones,  won't  you  speak  to  that  man."  That'll 
wake  up  your  church  more  than  anything  else  ;  and  you 
can  keep  it  going  fifty-two  times  a  year.  I  know  a 
church  in  Chicago,  where  they  have  this  kind  of  work 
right  along.  They  have  inquirers  every  Sunday  night, 
because  they  look  for  them.  I  do  think  it  is  a  great 
mistake  to  give  up  the  Sunday  night  service  for  any- 
thing that  comes  along.  I  would  hold  that  night  just 
sacred  to  preaching  the  Gospel. 

Q.  Suppose  you  have  a  large  church;  would  you  have 
inquiry-meetings  in  the  same  building  where  you  have 
the  preaching  ?  A.  It  makes  very  little  difference.  I 
wouldn't  have  any  cast-iron  rules.  I  wouldn't  have  them 
always  rise  for  prayer  or  always  come  forward.  I  would 
say  sometimes:  "  Any  one  in  this  audience  that  would  like 
to  become  a  Christian,  will  you  kneel  right  where  you  are." 
I  remember  once  in  a  meeting  there  was  a  father  who 
didn't  know  his  son  was  at  all  concerned;  but  when  I  made 
this  request  the  young  man  dropped  right  down  by  his 
side.  We  don't  want  any  cast-iron  rules.  That's  one 
reason  I  don't  like  Popery — when  you  go  in  anywhere 
you  know  just  where  you  are  coming  out.  Sometimes 
Mr.  Sankey  wants  to  know  what  hymn  I  am  going 
to  give  out  next;  and  if  I  tell  him,  very  likely  I  will 
give  out  something  altogether  different.  If  you  ask  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  lead  you,  you  can't  have  any  cast-iron 
rules. 

Q.  Do  you  ask  for  an  expression  of  anxiety  ?  A.  Ex- 
pression is  a  good  thing.  It  involves  the  surrender  of 
the  will.  If  you  can  get  a  man  to  walk  across  a  church 
before  all  the  people  and  go  into  an  inquiry-room,  it 
means  a  great  deal.  No  human  power  can  get  a  man  to 
do  that.  Only  the  Spirit  of  God  can  do  it.  Nine-tenths 
of  the  men  surrender  their  will  before  they  get  there. 


MORE  ABOUT  PERSONAL  WORK.  75 

That  is  the  advantage  of  the  Methodist  altar.  People 
surrender  their  will  before  they  get  that  far. 

Q.  Is  it  a  good  thing  to  sing  in  the  after-meeting  ?  A. 
Yes;  before  the  personal,  individual  work  begins,  espe- 
cially while  people  are  going  out  and  you  are  trying  to 
get  anxious  ones  into  the  inquiry-room.  It  is  a  good  thing 
then  to  sing,  because  it  makes  the  work  easy.  Sing  some- 
times softly,  sometimes  loudly.  When  people  are  going 
out  it  is  a  good  deal  better  to  drown  the  noise.  Other 
times  it  is  best  to  sing  very,  very  softly,  so  that  the  words 
will  go  to  the  heart. 

Q.  Would  you  go  among  the  people  ?  A.  I  generally 
go  around  and  get  the  workers  assigned,  but  you  have 
to  be  very  quiet. 

Q.  Would  you  always  have  an  inquiry- meeting  ?  No. 
If  you  have  not  had  power,  don't  hold  this  after-meet- 
ing. Ask  the  Christians  to  remain.  It  is  a  great  set- 
back to  ask  people  to  go  into  an  inquiry-room,  and  not 
one  go.  It  is  a  great  discouragement.  There  is  nothing 
like  keeping  the  people  stirred  up  all  the  time — full  of 
courage — full  of  hope.  Nothing  succeeds  like  success. 
We  are  more  likely  to  have  results  if  we  expect  them 
right  on  the  spot. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PRAYER-MEETINGS   AND    OTHER   TOPICS. 

Mr.   Moody's  Question-Drawer — "Get  Out  of  the  Ruts" — Cottage 
Meetings — Attracting  Non-Church-Goers — Mothers  with  Infants. 

Q.  What  is  the  best  way  to  conduct  the  weekly  prayer- 
meeting?  A.  There  is  no  trouble  about  getting  the 
people  to  attend  the  weekly  prayer-meeting  if  it  is  made 
interesting.  It  should  be  the  best  meeting  of  all,  and 
you  can  make  it  so.  First,  you  want  plenty  of  fresh  air. 
You  can't  do  anything  in  a  close,  stuffy  room.  If  a 
farmer  comes  in  after  a  hard  day's  work,  and  the  room 
is  close,  he  falls  asleep.  The  people  say  he  wants  spirit- 
uality; what  he  wants  is  fresh  air.  Let  the  room  be 
clean,  neat,  cheerful,  and  well-lighted.  Make  the  place 
attractive.  Don't  have  a  cold  minister  behind  a  box  to 
lead.  Sometimes  a  minister  reads  a  long  Scripture  les- 
son and  delivers  a  lecture.  He  takes  pains  to  say  he  is 
unprepared,  and  you  find  that  out  for  yourself  before 
he  has  gone  very  far.  Break  up  this  coldness  and  life- 
lessness.  Let  the  leader  get  out  of  the  ruts  and  be  free 
and  sociable  in  his  manners  with  the  people.  If  the 
minister  is  determined  to  keep  in  a  rut,  invite  him  to 
tea  with  you  some  evening,  and  have  a  serious  talk  on  the 
subject,  so  as  to  break  ^up  the  monotony.  Above  all, 
don't  have  any  long  prayers.  All  the  prayers  should  be 
brief.  We  don't  hear  of  long  prayers  in  the  Bible,  ex- 
cept at  the  dedication  of  Solomon's  Temple,  and  that 
comes  but  once  in  centuries.  No  one  likes  to  hear  a 
long  prayer,  and  when  a  man  is  making  one,  very  likely 
(76) 


PRAYER-MEETINGS  AND   OTHER  TOPICS.  77 

the  people  are  praying  that  he  will  stop.  Long  prayers 
may  have  been  all  right  in  other  times,  but  they  are  not 
now.  Men  think  quicker  than  they  used  to,  and  act 
quicker.  A  man  used  to  take  ten  foolscap  pages  to  send 
an  order  for  goods  to  New  York  ;  to-day  he  sends  it  by 
telegraph,  and  puts  it  into  ten  words.  See  how  short 
are  the  prayers  recorded  in  the  Bible.  "  Lord,  help 
me  ! "  is  one.  "  Lord,  save,  or  I  perish  !  "  is  another. 
Why;  a  man  said  that  if  Peter  had  had  as  long  a  pre- 
amble as  men  put  into  prayers  nowadays,  he  would  have 
been  forty  feet  under  water  before  he  would  have  got  as 
far  as  the  petition  for  rescue.  Prayer  isn't  praise;  it  is 
asking  God  -for  something.  You  can  ask  God  for  some- 
thing in  a  few  words.  If  a  man  will  pray  fifteen  minutes 
in  a  prayer-meeting,  he  will  pray  all  the  spirituality  out  of 
it.  I'd  rather  have  a  man  pray  three  times  and  only  five 
minutes  at  a  time,  than  to  have  him  take  fifteen  minutes 
at  once.  When  I  was  in  charge  of  a  work  in  Chicago,  I 
used  to  say:  "  I  am  going  to  take  up  the  Good  Shepherd 
to-night,"  and  then  get  the  people  to  quote  texts  or 
make  remarks  on  that  subject.  If  the  minister  leads,  he 
shouldn't  exhaust  the  subject  in  his  opening  address, 
and  leave  the  people  nothing  to  say.  He  had  much 
better  try  to  draw  them  out.  Then  again,  it  is  a  good 
thing  for  him  to  bring  in  fresh  voices,  even  if  he  has  to 
go  and  hunt  them  up.  That  is  the  way  Dr.  Kittredge 
has  done  in  Chicago,  and  he  has  an.  average  attendance 
of  800  at  his  prayer-meetings.  I  think  I  never  met  Dr. 
Kittredge  but  he  would  say:  "Where  are  you  going  to 
be  Wednesday  night?  Will  you  be  here?"  "Yes." 
"Well;  I  just  wish  you  would  come  into  our  prayer- 
meeting."  He  is  always  looking  out  for  help  that  way. 
He  has  kept  it  up  for  fifteen  years,  and  I  wish  you  could 
see  his  prayer-meeting.  When  you  have  men  ready  to 
speak,  there  needn't  be  any  long  pauses.     These  awful 


?8  D.    L.    MOODY  AT  HOME. 

pauses  will  kill  any  meeting.  The  minister  should  put 
in  a  word  here  and  there  to  keep  the  interest  going. 
But  he  shouldn't  take  up  much  time.  Any  minister  that 
preaches  twice  on  Sunday  and  then  gives  a  long  lecture 
in  the  prayer-meeting  will  kill  any  church  in  this  coun- 
try. Put  that  down  for  a  fact.  It  isn't  the  man  that 
does  everything  himself  that  accomplishes  the  most 
work,  but  it  is  the  man  that  gets  others  to  work. 

Q.  How  can  you  get  those  men  from  outside  ?  A. 
Have  the  meeting  in  your  mind  so  much  that  when  you 
meet  any  one  of  the  kind  you  want,  you  will  invite  him. 
Get  one  on  Monday,  another  on  Tuesday,  and  so  on. 
I  wish  we  had  greater  variety  in  our  prayer-meetings. 
Make  a  plan,  and  have  it  all  thought  out  before  Wednes- 
day comes.  It  means  work.  You  can't  get  anything  in 
this  world  without  working  for  it.  There  can  be  life  in 
our  churches  if  we  aim  for  it. 

Q.  Wouldn't  a  man  feel  a  little  restraint  if  he  was 
called  upon  publicly  to  speak  on  a  certain  subject  ?  A. 
You  needn't  call  upon  him  publicly.  When  you  see 
him  in  advance  you  can  say  :  "  We  are  going  to  have 
such  a  subject,  ' Grace,'  or  'Assurance.'  You  have  a 
few  days  to  look  it  up,  and  I  want  you  to  be  ready  to 
speak  when  there  is  a  good  chance."  I'd  rather  not  call 
a  man. out.  Have  the  meeting  so  perfectly  free  that 
they  can't  help  getting  up.  If  you  like,  give  a  man  a 
whole  chapter  of  the  Bible  to  speak  on.  That  is  broad 
enough,  isn't  it  ?  Anything  to  get  men  to  open  their 
lips.     Make  it  easy  for  them. 

Q.  Do  you  think  it  is  best  to  have  young  people's 
meetings  ?  Is  there  not  danger  of  having  too  many 
meetings  ?  A.  My  experience  is  that  the  more  meetings 
we  have,  the  more  interest  there  is.  Some  people  say 
that  if  you  have  one  meeting  you  don't  want  another  ; 
that  you  oughtn't  to  have  too  many  irons  in  the  fire. 


PRAYER-MEETINGS   AND   OTHER  TOPICS.  79 

But  one  iron  keeps  another  one  hot,  doesn't  it  ?  If  you 
have  a  meeting  for  the  young  people  on  Monday  night, 
and  they  are  fired  up,  they  will  come  around  to  your 
meeting  on  Wednesday  night.  What  you  want  is  to 
develop  the  whole  talent  in  your  church.  One  person 
has  a  talent  to  lead  a  meeting  ;  others  have  talents  for 
speaking  and  singing.  If  we  could  get  all  the  talent 
out  that  we  have  got  in  our  churches,  there  couldn't  be 
too  many  meetings.  I  believe  the  time  is  coming  when 
in  many  of  our  churches  there  will  be  a  meeting  every 
night  in  the  week. 

Q.  Would  you  have  the  pastor  lead  the  meeting  all 
the  time?  A.  No;  for  if  he  leads  all  the  time,  the 
moment  he  goes  away  the  whole  thing  will  collapse. 
One  man  told  me  that  his  church  had  a  wonderful 
minister — he  preached  twice  on  Sunday,  led  the  prayer- 
meeting  all  the  time,  and  did  ever  so  much  other  work. 
But  that  is  a  very  unhealthy  state  of  things.  Every- 
thing shouldn't  depend  on  the  minister.  What  you 
want  is  to  bring  out  all  the  talent  you  have  got  in  the 
church. 

Q.  How  should  the  singing  be  conducted  in  the 
prayer-meeting  ?  A.  It  is  a  very  good  thing  to  have 
one  leader,  because  then  the  people  get  to  understand 
his  ways,  and  you  know  he  will  pitch  the  tune  right.  If 
you  leave  it  to  any  one,  one  person  will  pitch  the  tune 
too  high,  or  another  too  low.  Have  one  leader  if  you 
can.  Then  it  is  a  very  good  thing  to  have  such  liberty 
in  the  meeting  that  this  leader  will  break  right  out  and 
sing  one  verse,  or  two  verses.  Have  everything  short 
and  right  to  the  point.  Make  it  easy  for  the  people  to 
sing  everything  that  is  started.  Let  every  one  take  part. 
Then  about  new  tunes.  It  helps  a  meeting  wonderfully 
to  introduce  new  tunes  as  fast  as  the  people  will  learn 
them.     Say  the  meeting  begins  at  half-past  seven.   Give 


80  D.   L.   MOODY  AT   HOME. 

it  out  that  the  place  will  be  open  at  seven  o'clock,  and 
that  you  will  spend  half-an-hour  in  learning  new  pieces. 
Sing  new  tunes  as  well  as  old  ones.  There  ought  to  be 
more  effort  made  for  good  music  in  all  our  churches 
and  Sabbath-schools. 

Q.  Would  you  encourage  young  people  to  take  part 
in  the  prayer-meeting,  or  would  you  have  only  staid 
people  take  part  ?  A.  "  Staid  people  !  "  They  are  ex- 
actly the  kind  we  don't  want.  Get  the  young  people  to 
take  part,  of  course.  That  is  the  very  way  to  break  up 
your  stiffness.  When  we  have  a  "  staid  "  prayer-meet- 
ing the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  break  it  up.  Get  out  of 
the  ruts.  Do  you  know  what  a  rut  is  ?  It  is  where  the 
wheel  gets  so  deep  that  you  can't  turn  it  this  way  or 
that.  What  we  want  more  than  anything  else  is  to  get 
out  of  the  ruts  ! 

Q.  Suppose  there  are  two  Scotch  elders  that  are  not 
on  good  terms,  so  that  one  won't  take  part  if  the  other 
does  ?  A.  Ask  them  to  tea  with  you,  and  if  there  is  any 
difference  get  it  out  of  the  way.  There  is  no  better  man 
in  the  world  than  a  Scotchman  if  he  is  headed  right,  but 
he  is  very  troublesome  if  he  is  headed  wrong.  The  best 
man  you  can  have  in  your  church  is  a  Scotchman  if  he 
is  right  ;  and  you  can  afford  to  spend  some  time  to  get 
him  right  if  he  is  wrong. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  if  a  man  in  your  church  didn't 
like  to  hear  young  converts  testify  ?  A.  I  should  doubt 
his  Christianity.  Of  course  if  a  young  convert  is  con- 
ceited and  egotistical,  and  talks  a  great  deal  about  him- 
self, people  don't  like  that.  Tell  him  it  is  offensive  for 
any  one  to  talk  much  about  himself.  But  if  a  convert 
has  the  true  ring  in  his  testimony,  if  he  has  got  Heaven 
in  his  soul,  and  some  man  doesn't  like  to  hear  him,  the 
man  hasn't  got  the  right  spirit  himself — there  must  be 
something  wrong. 


PRAYER-MEETINGS  AND   OTHER  TOPICS.  8 1 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  him  ?  A.  Make  it  too 
hot  for  him.  If  a  man  doesn't  like  to  hear  the  testimony 
of  young  converts,  make  it  so  that  he  won't  hear  anything 
else.  If  he  can't  stand  it,  he  ain't  converted.  You 
mustn't  let  that  man  control  the  church,  or  have  your 
whole  work  spoiled  because  he  doesn't  like  to  hear  young 
people. 

Q.  Which  do  you  think  is  the  best  city  missionary,  a 
man  or  a  woman  ?  A.  Give  me  the  women  every  time. 
I'll  tell  you  why.  Now,  there  is  a  good  reason  for 
it.  I  know  all  about  it,  for  I  was  a  city  missionary  for 
years.  Most  of  the  visiting  has  to  be  done  in  the  day- 
time, when  the  men  are  away  from  home.  If  a  woman 
goes  into  a  house  she  can  sit  down  with  the  wife  and 
family,  and  talk  and  pray,  and  when  the  man  comes, 
home  in  the  evening  he  won't  get  mad  and  rage  as  he 
might  if  a  man  had  been  there.  A  woman  can  go  into 
any  of  the  people's  homes  anywhere,  and  talk  with  the 
women  and  children.  Not  only  that,  but  the  women 
have  got  more  tact.  They  have  got  advantages  that 
men  haven't  got.  I  firmly  believe  that  if  we  had  to-day 
in  these  great  cities  hundreds  where  we  have  one  lady 
missionary,  we  would  soon  break  up  this  Nihilism,  and 
Communism,  and  all  such  things.  I  don't  know  any 
agency  so  powerful  as  these  godly  women.  They  are 
like  angels  when  they  go  into  dark  cellars  and  garrets, 
and  just  hold  up  Jesus  Christ.  I  tell  you,  I  pray  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  will  just  raise  up  thousands 
of  women  to  do  this  work.  When  I  see  so  many  women 
that  are  gay,  frivolous — with  nothing  in  the  world  to  do 
but  to  go  into  gay  society — and  God  has  given  them 
great  talents,  I  think  it  is  a  great  calamity,  a  great  pity, 
that  such  women  do  not  offer  themselves  for  the  work  of 
the  Master  in  this  direction.  I'd  like  to  see  women  used 
a  thousand  times  more  than  they  are.     You  hear  men 


82  D.   L.   MOODY  AT   HOME. 

cursing  and  swearing,  and  if  a  man  comes  along  they 
don't  stop  ;  but  let  a  woman  come,  and  see  the  respect 
they  will  show  her. 

Q.  Do  we  want  strong-minded  women  ?  A.  No;  God 
uses  the  weak  things  of  the  world.  Sometimes  the 
weakest  women  accomplish  the  most.  I  suppose  the 
weakest  woman  in  her  neighborhood  was  Mary  of  Beth- 
any, and  yet  she  has  outlived  all  the  women  of  that 
age.  What  she  did  has  outlived  all  they  ever  did.  I 
suppose  if  any  of  our  newspaper  reporters  had  been 
there,  and  had  seen  Mary  open  that  alabaster  box 
and  anoint  the  feet  of  Jesus,  they  would  have  thought 
it  wasn't  worth  putting  in  the  papers.  They  would  have 
said,  "There's  nothing  in  that."  But  that  act  has  out- 
lived all  the  monuments  in  the  world.  Mary  loved  the 
Master,  and  at  last  her  heart  became  so  full  that  she 
just  broke  that  alabaster  box  and  poured  out  the  costly 
ointment.  As  the  Scotchman  said,  it  was  the  only  thing 
she  could  give  to  Christ  that  He  could  not  give  away 
again.  If  she  had  given  Him  the  alabaster  box,  He 
would  have  given  it  away;  but  she  broke  it,  and  poured 
the  ointment  on  Him  as  the  greatest  compliment  she 
could  offer.  We  can  all  do  something.  You  can  have 
it  said  of  you:  "She  hath  done  what  she  could."  Let 
the  women  do  what  they  can,  and  righteousness  will 
run  through  our  streets  like  a  river  in  a  very  short  time. 
I  would  like  to  see  more  of  our  women  catching  the 
missionary  spirit,  and  consecrating  themselves  to  this 
work. 

Q.  How  can  we  get  non-church-goers  to  attend  church? 
A.  That  is  a  big  question.  I  would  like  half-an-hour  to 
talk  upon  it.  I  can  only  say  this:  Take  this  town.  In 
these  country  towns  the  difficulty  is  that  people  have  so 
far  to  go  that,  if  they  have  no  conveyance,  they  think 
they  must  stay  at  home.     A  year  ago,  at  a  meeting  we 


PRAYER-MEETINGS  AND  OTHER  TOPICS.  83 

had  in  the  church  one  Sunday,  a  plan  was  suggested 
that  we  get  some  wagons,  and  you  will  see  them  around 
here  now.  One  was  called  "Church  Wagon  No.  1,"  and 
another  "  Church  Wagon  No.  2."  We  arranged  to  have 
the  farmers  hitch  their  horses,  and  then  we  were  all 
right.  There  are  some  people  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain and  on  the  mountain-side  that  have  got  no  horses, 
and  they  are  two  miles  away.  So  we  hitch  the  horses, 
and  just  bring  sixteen  non-church-goers  in  each  of  those 
wagons.  We  have  one  wagon  at  this  end  of  the  town, 
and  one  at  the  other  end,  over  the  river.  In  that  way 
we  get  the  people  out  that  haven't  been  in  the  habit  of 
going  to  church.  It  doesn't  cost  much — just  the  wagons 
and  harness.  Take  up  a  subscription  in  your  church  to 
cover  the  expense.  I  want  to  say,  that  if  a  man  has  got 
a  heart  to  reach  these  non-church-goers,  God  will  open 
up  the  way.  But  you  must  let  these  people  know  that 
you  want  them.  People  won't  come  if  they  think  you 
don't  seem  to  care  for  them.  If  it  gets  noised  around 
that  we  want  these  people,  we  are  going  to  have  them. 
We  must  be  in  earnest  about  it.  Let  these  farmers  that 
have  got  horses  go  around  and  carry  people  that  haven't. 
Let  them  put  themselves  out.  If  they  go  out  of  their 
way,  people  will  say,  "That  means  business."  Then 
there  is  another  thing.  In  our  cities  this  accursed  pew 
system  has  got  to  be  changed.  I  call  it  accursed,  and 
I'll  tell  you  why.  A  great  many  people  hire  a  pew, 
and  then  think  they  own  it  as  much  as  they  own  their 
house.  If  a  stranger  comes  into  the  pew,  they  think  he 
is  just  as  much  out  of  place  as  if  he  had  gone  into  their 
house.  When  a  church  has  that  system,  men  say,  "  I 
am  not  going  in  there,  and  feel  as  if  I  am  not  welcome." 
Did  you  ever  go  into  a  church  in  some  strange  place, 
and  have  the  sexton  put  you  into  some  one's  pew?  The 
people  that  own  the  pew  take  a  good  look  at  you,  as 


84  t>.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME. 

much  as  to  say  that  you  are  in  somebody  else's  place, 
and  it  gives  you  a  very  awkward  feeling.     I  have  been 
there  myself.     I  know  just  how  you  feel.     I  never  go 
into  church  in  my  life  that  I  don't  feel  very  awkward 
till  the  services  get  going.     I  tell  you  this  is  all  wrong. 
The  pews  should  be  free.     If  you  think  you  can't  have 
free  pews,  then  let  us  come  to  a  compromise — let  us 
have  them  free  every  Sunday  night.     Let  it  be  known 
that  the  seats  are  perfectly  free  on  Sunday  night;  let 
the  strangers  have  the  best  seats  that  night;  let  it  be 
well  advertised,  and  make  the  people  welcome  when 
they  come.     If  you  do  this,  you  will  soon  have  all  the 
non-church-goers  you  can  deal  with.     "  Oh,  but,"  says 
some  one,  "  that  will  wear  the  carpets."    What  if  it  does  ? 
Did  you  ever  see  a  church  worn  out  ?    I  would  travel 
all  over  the  world  to  see  a  church  worn  out.     You  can 
get  the  people  to  come  if  you  want  to.     But  they  won't 
come  and  sit  in  rented  pews.     I  remember  hearing  a 
story  of  a  man  that  owned  a  pew,  and  didn't  seem  to 
like  it  when  a  stranger  took  his  seat  there.     He  wrote 
on  a  slip  of  paper:  "  This  is  my  pew,"  and  handed  it  to 
the  stranger,  who  wrote  back,  "What  do  you  pay  for 
it?"     The  man  wrote,  "I  pay  $75";  and  the  stranger 
wrote  back,  "It's  a  good  pew.    It's  worth  it."    Now,  the 
idea  that  men  have — "  I  hire  this  pew;  it  belongs  to  me" — 
stands  right  in  the  way  of  all  our  efforts  to  reach  non- 
church-goers.     The  whole  system  is  wrong — no  doubt 
about  it.     What  if  some  crusty  bachelor  wants  to  have 
things  stay  as  they  are — never  mind  him.     Get  the  peo- 
ple in.    It's  no  good  preaching  to  empty  seats.    If  a  man 
makes  up  his  mind  that  he  is  going  to  have  his  church 
filled,  he'll  have  it.     A  good  many  people  are  afraid  of 
doing  anything  out  of  the  regular  lines — of  doing  any- 
thing out  of  order.     Now,  you  will  find  perfect  order  in 
a  cemetery.     You  will  find  perfect  order  where  there  is 


PRAYER-MEETINGS  AND   OTHER  TOPICS.  85 

death.     Where  there  is  life  you  will  find  something  out 
of  order. 

Q.  How  do  you  start  a  cottage  prayer-meeting  ?  A. 
The  way  we  used  to  do  in  Chicago  was  this.  We  would 
go  around  from  house  to  house  till  we  found  a  woman 
who  was  willing  to  have  a  meeting  in  her  house — it 
might  be  an  unconverted  woman.  It  takes  a  good  deal 
of  moral  courage  for  any  woman  to  have  a  meeting  in  her 
house,  where  all  the  people  in  the  street  know  her;  but 
if  you  get  her  consent,  ask  the  neighbors  to  come  in — 
a  great  many  people  who  won't  go  to  a  church  will  go 
to  a  cottage  prayer-meeting.  Some  of  the  best  hours  I 
have  spent  in  my  life  were  in  the  cottage  meetings.  If 
I  have  had  any  success,  that  is  where  I  learned  to  preach. 
Get  twenty  or  thirty  mothers  together  with  their  chil- 
dren or  their  babes  in  arms.  Read  a  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture. Get  the  children  to  sing;  it  will  always  interest  a 
mother  to  hear  her  child  sing,  even  if  it  doesn't  sing  as 
well  as  Mr.  Sankey.  Talk  comforting  words  to  the  moth- 
ers. I  tell  you  what — I'd  rather,  a  thousand  times,  talk 
to  these  mothers  than  to  Gospel-hardened  sinners.  When 
a  young  mother  is  just  beginning  to  feel  her  responsi- 
bility, it  isn't  very  difficult  to  reach  her  heart.  Never 
mind  the  babies.  When  we  were  holding  meetings  in 
London,  in  the  Circus,  I  remember  there  was  a  special 
meeting  appointed  for  the  mothers,  and  they  were  told 
to  bring  their  babies.  The  meeting  was  just  for  mothers 
and  babies — that  was  the  ticket  of  admission — a  baby. 
Well;  I  never  saw  so  many  babies  in  my  life.  If  a  baby 
cries,  the  preacher  should  raise  his  voice  a  little  louder 
than  the  baby  can  cry.  Encourage  the  mothers  to  bring 
their  babies.  It  is  delightful  to  see  a  mother  with  a 
baby  in  her  arms  going  right  into  the  house  of  God.  If 
some  fidgety  people  don't  like  to  hear  a  baby  cry,  let 
them  go.    Others  will  come  and  fill  up  the  church.   When 


D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

Mr.  Sankey  and  I  were  in  Liverpool  we  saw  a  woman  in 
the  place  where  the  meetings  were  held,  an  hour  before 
the  time,  and  she  stayed  right  through  the  meeting.  She 
was  all  worn  out;  looked  like  a  poor  woman,  and  I  sup- 
pose she  had  carried  that  baby  two  hours.  During  the 
meeting  the  baby  got  restless  and  began  to  cry.  Some 
of  the  people  looked  cross,  and  I  saw  the  woman  was 
very  uneasy  and  nervous;  she  didn't  want  to  disturb  the 
meeting,  and  yet  didn't  want  to  go.  She  did  her  best  to 
quiet  the  baby,  but  it  would  cry,  and  at  last  she  started 
to  go  out.  I  said:  "  Let  that  baby  cry  if  it  wants  to.  I 
can  speak  as  loud  as  the  baby  can  cry.  Now,  don't  look 
at  that  mother,  but  just  pray  that  the  Lord  will  bless 
her.  Remember,  she  hasn't  any  one  to  take  care  of  that 
baby,  and  perhaps  she  hasn't  been  in  church  for  years." 
By-and-by  the  baby  got  asleep.  How  she  listened  to  the 
preaching !  with  tears  coming  down  on  her  dress.  At 
the  close  of  the  sermon  I  asked  those  who  had  any  de- 
sire for  salvation  to  rise,  and  the  first  one  was  that 
woman.  With  her  baby  in  her  arms  she  presented  her- 
self for  prayer.  It  touched  my  very  soul.  I  asked  those 
who  wanted  to  become  Christians  to  go  into  the  inquiry- 
room  while  we  were  singing.  The  baby  woke  up  and 
began  to  cry  again,  and  the  mother  got  very  nervous. 
Then  a  great,  manly  six-footer  came  up  and  said  to  her: 
"Let  me  take  that  baby  while  you  go  into  the  inquiry- 
meeting."  Perhaps  he  had  never  had  a  baby  in  his 
arms  in  his  life;  but  he  took  it,  and  walked  up  and  down 
before  8,000  people.  That  man  was  a  hero.  The  mother 
went  into  the  inquiry-room,  and  found  peace  in  her  soul. 
Then  she  took  her  baby  and  out  into  that  dark  city  she 
went.  I  will  never  forget  that  scene,  and  I  don't  sup- 
pose she  will  ever  forget  it — 8,000  people  praying  for 
that  mother  that  wet  night.  You  can  reach  the  masses 
by  just  laying  yourself  out  for  it,  and  God  will  bless  you. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

mr.  Moody's  bible  nuggets. 

A  Compact  Presentation  of  Some  of  the  Leading  Truths  of  Scripture 
— Symmetrical  Outlines  of  Doctrine — Hidden  Treasures  Brought 
to  Light. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  results  of  Mr.  Moody's 
system  of  Bible-marking,  as  exhibited  by  him  on  various 
occasions  at  the  request  of  friends  :  * 

SEVEN   NEW   THINGS. 

Justification :  a  change  of  state;  a  new  standing  be- 
fore God. 

Repentance:  a  change  of  mind;  a  new  opinion  about 
God. 

Regeneration:  a  change  of  nature;  a  new  heart  from 
God. 

Conversion :  a  change  of  life;  a  new  life  from  God. 

Adoption:  a  change  of  family;  a  new  relationship  to- 
wards God. 

Sanctification :  a  change  of  service ;  separation  unto 
God. 

Glorification :  a  change  of  place;  a  new  condition  with 
God. 


*  Many  other  (over  600)  suggestive  outlines  of  Bible-marking  and 
Bible-reading,  by  Mr.  Moody  and  others,  will  be  found  in  the  vol- 
ume "  Notes  and  Suggestions  for  Bible-Readings,"  price  $1.00,  F.  H. 
Revell,  Chicago  or  New  York. 
(87) 


88  D.    L.    MOODY   AT   HOME. 

WHY   CHRIST   BECAME   MAN. 

i.  To  bear  sin— i  John  iii.  5-8;  John  i.  29. 

2.  To  obey  God's  law — Heb.  x.  7;  Rom.  v.  19. 

3.  To  destroy  death — Heb.  ii.  14;  John  x.  10. 

4.  To  sympathize  with  us — Heb.  ii.  17. 

5.  To  give  us  an  example — 1  Peter  ii.  21. 

6.  To  reveal  God  to  us — John  xiv.  9;  Col.  i.  15. 

7.  To  unite  God  and  man — Rom.  v.  10. 

CHRIST    GAVE   HIMSELF 

i.  For  many — Mark  x.  45. 

2.  For  the  Church — Eph.  v.  25. 

3.  For  me — Gal.  ii.  20. 

GOD   IS   FAITHFUL 

1.  To  fulfil  the  hope  of  my  calling — 1  Cor.  i.  9. 

2.  To  establish  the  believer — 2  Thess.  iii.  3. 

3.  To  succor  the  tempted — 1  Cor.  x.  13. 

4.  To  fulfil  all  His  promises — Heb.  x.  23;  xi.  11. 

THE   SINNER   IS 

Without  God;  without  Christ;  without  hope;  without 
strength;  without  remedy;  without  faith;  without  ex- 
cuse. 

JESUS   ONLY. 

The  light  of  heaven  is  the  face  of  Jesus. 

The  joy  of  heaven  is  the  presence  of  Jesus. 

The  melody  of  heaven  is  the  name  of  Jesus. 

The  harmony  of  heaven  is  the  praise  of  Jesus. 

The  theme  of  heaven  is  the  work  of  Jesus. 

The  employment  of  heaven  is  the  service  of  Jesus. 

The  fullness  of  heaven  is  Jesus  Himself. 

The  duration  of  heaven  is  the  eternity  of  Jesus. 

If  Christ  you  know,  enough  all  else  unknown  ; 
If  Christ  unknown,  vain  though  all  else  you  learn. 


D.   L.    MOODY'S   BIBLE  NUGGETS.  89 

THE  SAINT'S  PLACE. 

In  Christ's  hand — safety. 
At  His  feet — learning. 
At  His  side — fellowship. 
Between  His  shoulders — power. 
In  His  arms — rest. 

WEAK   THINGS  MADE   STRONG,    IN   JUDGES. 

Left-handed,  iii.  21  ;  ox-goad,  iii.  31 ;  woman,  iv.  4; 
nail,  iv.  21;  piece  of  a  millstone,  ix.  53;  pitchers  and 
trumpets,  vii.  20  ;  jawbone  of  an  ass,  xv.  15. 

IN   RUTH — BOAZ    A    TYPE   OF   CHRIST. 

Lord  of  the  harvest.  Supplier  of  wants.  Redeemer 
of  the  inheritance.  Man  who  gives  rest.  Near-kins- 
man.    Bridegroom. 

DO   THE   KING'S  BUSINESS 

Heartily,  Col.  iii.  23.  Diligently,  Ezra  vii.  23.  Faith- 
fully, 2  Chron.  xxxiv.  12.     Speedily,  Ezra  vii.  21. 

ESTHER   TEACHES     - 

The  wonderful  overruling  providence  of  God 
The  love  of  God  for  His  own  people. 
The  power  of  God  to  overturn  the  devices  of  the 
wicked. 

THREE   THINGS  IN   JOHN. 

The  Gospel  of  John  opens  with  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
bosom  of  God,  and  closes  with  the  sinner  in  the  bosom 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

John  vi.  21:  "For  Him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed" 
— that  is,  Christ.  In  the  Mosaic  ritual  the  lamb  of  the 
sacrifice  was  stamped  and  sealed  by  the  priest  as  fit  for 
sacrifice.    So  the  Son  of  God  was  sealed.    [Mr.  Needham 


90  D.    L.    MOODY  AT   HOME. 

— The  Jews  in  London  seal  their  meat.  As  soon  as  the 
meat  is  unfit  for  food  they  take  the  seal  off.  Jesus  Christ 
is  sealed  as  the  food  of  His  people.  The  seal  has  never 
been  removed  because  He  is  a  fit  food  for  His  people 
always.] 

John  xix.  15:  The  Jews  chose  Barabbas,  a  murderer 
and  robber.  They  have  been  murdered  and  robbed  ever 
since.  They  chose  Caesar  as  their  king,  and  the  Caesars 
have  pillaged  and  robbed  them  ever  since. 

THE   NAME   OF   JESUS. 

Phil.  ii.  9:  "Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted 
Him,  and  given  Him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name." 
What  the  name  of  Jesus  is: 

1.  It  is  the  only  source  of  salvation — Acts  ii.  12. 

2.  Faith  in  it  gives  life — John  xx.  31. 

3.  Faith  in  it  gives  remission  of  sins — Acts  x.  43. 

4.  Faith  in  it  makes  a  man  whole — Acts  iii.  6. 

5.  Faith  in  it  makes  us  sons  of  God — John  i.  12. 

6.  Faith  in  it  gives  power  in  prayer — John  xiv.  13. 

7.  Faith  in  it  gives  victory  over  devils — Luke  x.  17. 

8.  It  is  the  motive  power  of  the  Christian  life — 2  Tim. 
ii.  19. 

9.  It  is  the  object  of  this  world's  hatred — Acts  iv.  17. 

10.  It  is  the  test  by  which  the  world  is  condemned — ■ 
John  iii.  18. 

11.  It  is  the  crowning  glory  of  the  redeemed  in  heaven 
— Rev,  iii.  12, 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A     CALL     TO     WORK. 

Mr.  Moody  on  Christian  Activity— Getting  People  Stirred  Up — The 
Two  W's  :  Word  and  Work — Beginning  at  Home — Nothing  Small 
— Different  Ways  of  Doing  Good. 

Let  me  read  a  few  verses  in  the  second  chapter  of 
Titus  : 

"  For  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to  all 
men,  Teaching  us  that  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we 
should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world : 
Looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the 
great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ :  Who  gave  Himself  for  us, 
that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  Himself 
a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works." 

I  want  to  call  attention  to  these  words :  "  Who 
gave  Himself  for  us,  that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all 
iniquity,  and  purify  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  people, 
zealous  of  good  works. "  A  great  many  people  are  stirred 
up  by  hearing  what  other  people  are  doing.  You  re- 
member the  great  revival  of  1858,  when  half-a-million 
people  were  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  That 
was  done  by  one  town  hearing  what  another  town 
was  doing — just  merely  hearing  reports  of  what  God 
was  doing  in  other  places.  You  know  very  well  a  great 
many  people  in  our  churches  are  sound  asleep.  They 
haven't  got  any  idea  that  they  have  any  mission  in  the 
world — that  they  have  any  work  to  do  for  the  Lord.  If 
we  can  do  anything  to  get  these  people  stirred  up  that 
have  been  in  the  church  a  long  while,  and  get  them  act- 
(91) 


92  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

ively  engaged  in  the  Lord's  work,  that  is  what  we 
ought  to  do.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  sit  and  listen  while 
Mr.  Rainsford  expounds  the  Word  of  God,  but  that 
won't  amount  to  anything  unless  we  put  two  things  to- 
gether: Word  and  Work — the  two  W's.  You  will  soon 
get  spiritually  gorged  if  it  is  all  Word  and  no  work.  If 
you  want  to  be  healthy  Christians,  there  must  be  both 
Word  and  work.  If  we  can  get  people  to  work,  how 
rapidly  they  will  grow.  My  experience  is  that  a  man  or 
woman  who  is  engaged  in  the  Lord's  work  and  feeding 
on  the  Bible  is  growing  all  the  while.  Whoever  is  not 
working  is  sure  to  become  stunted.  The  Christian  life 
means  progress  and  growth.  And  I  think  there  is  no 
better  place  for  people  to  begin  Christian  work  than 
right  at  their  own  homes.  There  has  been  quite  a  mis- 
sionary spirit  kindled  at  Mount  Hermon,  but  I  have 
recommended  those  young  men  to  begin  at  home  first 
before  they  go  out  to  foreign  fields.  The  best  place  to 
begin  is  in  the  home  field — in  your  own  parish.  If  a 
man  hasn't  got  a  good  enough  record  to  have  any  effect 
at  home,  he  won't  be  of  much  account  in  the  foreign 
field.  You  will  notice  this  is  Christ's  order.  In  Acts  i. 
8,  He  says :  "  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me,  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto 
the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  I  will  venture  to  say, 
the  hardest  place  for  those  disciples  to  begin  to  preach 
was  in  their  own  city — Jerusalem.  Then  Judea  was  the 
next  hardest  place.  Then  Samaria  was  the  next  hardest 
place.  The  hardest  place  to  begin  is  at  home,  in  your 
own  church,  your  own  family.  But  that  is  what  we 
want.  We  want  to  say  :  "  My  lot  is  cast  here,  and  here 
is  the  place  I  must  go  to  work."  And  if  every  Christian 
man  and  every  Christian  woman  would  sincerely  pray, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  what  a  mighty 
work  would  be  accomplished  !     If  you  have  got  a  heart 


A  CALL  TO   WORK.  93 

for  the  work,  God  will  qualify  you.  There  will  be  no 
trouble  about  your  finding  something  to  do.  If  each 
one  of  us  is  doing  some  little  thing,  it  isn't  little  in 
the  Master's  sight.  If  we  keep  at  it  365  days  in  the 
year,  there  will  be  a  good  deal  of  work  done  at  the  end 
of  the  year.  The  men  that  have  been  permitted  to  do 
higher  things  are  the  men  that  began  with  small  things. 
If  you  are  not  willing  to  deal  with  one  man  about  his 
soul,  and  labor  with  that  one  man,  you  are  not  fit  to  go 
into  the  pulpit  and  preach  to  others.  Some  of  Christ's 
greatest  discourses  were  given  to  one  person  or  two  per- 
sons. It  was  to  Nicodemus  He  preached  that  great  ser- 
mon on  regeneration.  He  delivered  that  wonderful  ser- 
mon at  the  well  when  the  disciples  were  off  to  the  city 
— delivered  it  to  one  poor  fallen  woman.  Don't  wait 
for  something  to  turn  up,  but  go  and  turn  up  some- 
thing. 

There  are  a  great  many  different  ways  of  doing  good. 
A  lady  once  visited  an  hospital,  and  noticed  with  what 
pleasure  the  patients  would  smell  and  look  at  the  flowers 
sent  to  them.  Said  she,  *'  If  I  had  known  that  a  bunch 
of  flowers  would  do  so  much  good  I  would  have  sent 
some  from  home."  As  soon  as  she  got  home,  she  sent 
some  flowers  out  of  her  garden.  It  was  a  little  thing — 
a  bouquet  of  flowers.  It  was  a  very  insignificant  work 
— very  small.  But  if  it  is  done  in  the  right  spirit 
God  accepts  it.  A  cup  of  water  given  in  His  name  is 
accepted  as  given  to  Himself.  Nothing  that  is  done  for 
God  is  small.  When  Elijah  sent  his  servant  to  see  if 
there  was  any  sign  of  rain,  and  when  the  servant  saw 
the  cloud  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  perhaps  he 
thought  it  was  a  very  insignificant  thing.  But  Elijah 
knew  what  it  meant;  and  he  told  the  man  to  go  and  warn 
Ahab  that  he  had  better  make  haste  and  get  home  or 
he  would  get  a  good  drenching  before  he  got  there. 


94  D.   L-   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

Elijah  knew  God  was  in  the  cloud.  Anything  that  God 
is  in  isn't  small.  If  we  go  to  work  right  at  home  we 
will  have  success.  There  isn't  a  child  of  God  but  can 
do  something  if  he  will.  Go  home  on  fire,  and  see  if 
you  can't  get  people  to  go  to  church.  If  you  can't 
get  grown  people,  get  the  children.  If  you  can't  get 
people  to  church,  go  to  their  homes.  Hold  meetings  in 
school-houses.  Go  up  into  these  mountains,  and  visit 
the  families.  All  along  in  New  England,  and  all  through 
this  country  —  through  Pennsylvania  and  the  Middle 
States — look  at  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  families 
in  the  outlying  districts  that  are  not  in  the  habit  of 
hearing  preaching,  and  as  things  are  now  there  is  no 
way  of  reaching  them.  I'd  like  to  see  laymen  preaching 
to  these  people.  I  don't  believe  they  are  ever  going  to 
be  reached  till  the  laity  go  to  work.  You  haven't  got 
to  wait  till  you  are  ordained.  Christ's  commission  is  to 
everyone:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature."  If  we  are  the  branches  we 
are  to  bring  forth  fruit.  Make  up  your  mind  you  are 
going  to  bring  forth  fruit.  When  I  was  in  London,  an 
old  woman  of  eighty-five  came  and  begged  to  be  given 
something  to  do.  I  gave  her  a  district,  and  how  joyfully 
she  took  it  and  went  to  work.  People  who  would  have 
closed  the  door  on  a  young  man  wouldn't  close  the  door 
on  an  old  woman  of  eighty-five.  If  every  one  would  do 
as  much  as  she  did,  what  a  difference  there  would  be  ! 
I  find  a  good  many  men  as  I  travel  over  this  country 
who  never  know  what  it  is  to  be  cold — never  know  what 
it  is  to  be  lukewarm.  Why  ?  Because  they  are  at  work 
for  the  Lord  all  the  while.  I  heard  of  a  man  in  Pitts- 
burgh who  gave  away  $500  a  day.  I  thought  I  would 
like  to  see  that  man.  There  was  a  line  of  beggars  at 
his  door  every  morning;  and  he  would  spend  from  nine 
to  twelve  o'clock  with  them  every  day.     So  I  took  my 


A  CALL  TO   WORK.  95 

place  in  the  line.  I  wanted  something  for  Mount  Her- 
mon.  As  I  talked  with  him,  I  said  :  "  Do  you  never  get 
discouraged  at  this  kind  of  work  ?  Don't  you  find  so 
much  ingratitude  that  you  get  disheartened  ?  "  "  Oh," 
said  he,  "  I  haven't  time  to  look  for  that."  That  man 
was  just  doing  it  for  the  Master;  and  he  hadn't  time  to 
get  discouraged.  Said  I :  "  Haven't  you  any  doubts 
about  the  wisdom  of  this  way  of  doing  ?  "  Said  he  :  "I 
haven't  time  to  doubt."  If  you  are  busy  about  the 
Master's  work,  you  won't  have  time  to  grow  lukewarm. 
Perhaps  you  say :  "  If  I  had  $500  a  day  to  give  away, 
wouldn't  I  be  a  happy  Christian."  Well;  you  have  got 
better  than  that.  Give  yourself.  Money  is  of  very  small 
account  in  the  sight  of  God. 

When  Mr.  Sankey  and  I  were  in  London,  there  was  a 
lady  who  attended  our  meetings,  and  was  brought  into 
the  house  in  her  carriage,  being  unable  to  walk.  At 
first  she  %as  very  sceptical;  but  one  day  she  said  to  her 
servant,  "  Take  me  into  the  inquiry-room."  After  I  had 
talked  with  her  a  good  while  about  her  soul,  she  said  : 
"  But  you  will  go  back  to  America,  and  it  will  be  all 
over."  "  Oh,  no,"  said  I,  "  it  is  going  to  last  forever." 
Well;  I  couldn't  make  her  believe  it.  I  don't  know  how 
many  times  I  talked  with  her.  At  last  I  used  the  fable 
of  the  pendulum  in  the  clock.  The  pendulum  figured 
up  the  thousands  of  times  it  would  have  to  tick,  and 
got  discouraged,  and  was  going  to  give  up.  Then  it 
thought,  "  It  is  only  a  tick  at  a  time,"  and  went  on.  So 
it  is  in  the  Christian  life — only  one  step  at  a  time. 
That  helped  this  lady  very  much.  She  began  to  see 
that  if  she  could  trust  in  God  for  a  supply  of  grace  for 
only  one  day,  she  could  go  right  on  in  the  same  way 
from  day  to  day.  As  soon  as  she  saw  this,  she  came 
out  quite  decided.  But  she  never  could  get  done  talk- 
ing about   that   pendulum.     The    servants   called    her 


96  d.  l.  moody  at  home. 

Lady  Pendulum.  She  got  a  pendulum  stuck  up  in  her 
room  to  remind  her  of  the  illustration;  and  when  I 
went  away  from  London  she  gave  me  a  clock — I've  got 
it  in  my  house.  That  lady  can't  go  out  visiting,  and  so 
she  just  makes  needlework  texts  for  framing,  and  sends 
them  wherever  they  will  do  good.  One  I  received  was 
"  This  is  Not  Your  Rest."  The  one  she  sent  me  before  that 
was,  "  Zealous  of  Good  Works."  Thank  God,  we  have 
got  all  eternity  to  rest  in.  This  is  the  place  to  work.  I 
pity  any  child  of  God  that  wants  to  sleep  all  the  time 
down  here.  Brothers,  sisters,  wake  up  !  We  have  got 
plenty  of  time  to  rest  hereafter.  Well,  now,  that  lady 
has  made  four  hundred  of  these  texts,  and  she  sends 
them  to  the  poor  people  of  London.  I  suppose  she 
thought  I  belonged  to  that  crowd.  So  I  do.  There 
she  is  in  her  house  working  out  these  texts,  and  praying 
that  God  will  bless  them.  When  they  go  out  they  are 
covered  with  prayer.  The  question  is  not  what  Gabsiel 
can  do,  or  what  we  will  do  when  we  get  to  Heaven  ; 
the  question  is,  What  can  you  and  I  do  before  we  get 
there  ? 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ENDUEMENT    FOR    SERVICE. 

Mr.  Moody  on  the  Special  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit — Experience  of  the 
Apostles — Repeated  Anointing — Why  we  Lack  Power — The  Great 
Need  of  Modern  Christians — Are  we  "  Filled  with  the  Spirit,"  and 
Ready  to  Go  Anywhere  ? 

I  suppose  if  I  could  put  the  question  and  ask  those 
who .  are  filled  with  the  Spirit  to  respond,  very  few  if 
any  would  be  heard  from.  And  yet  we  read  in  Ephe- 
sians  v.  18  that  this  is  a  command:  u  Be  ye  filled  with 
the  Spirit."  God  commands  us  to  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit;  and  if  we  are  not  filled,  it  is  because  we  are 
living  beneath  our  privileges.  I  think  that  is  the  great 
trouble  with  Christendom  to-day:  we  are  not  living  up 
on  the  plane  where  God  would  have  us  live.  In  the  20th 
chapter  of  John's  Gospel,  and  the  2 2d  verse,  are  these 
words:  "And  when  He  had  said  this,  He  breathed  on 
them,  and  said  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Now,  those  men  had  already  the  Holy  Ghost  dwelling 
in  them.  They  would  never  have  left  their  fishing- 
smacks  and  followed  Christ  during  those  three  years  of 
humiliation  and  suffering  if  it  hadn't  been  for  the  Spirit 
of  God  working  in  them.  But  almost  the  first  thing 
after  the  resurrection,  when  our  Lord  appeared  to  His 
disciples  and  showed  them  His  pierced  hands  and  His 
wounded  side,  He  breathed  upon  them  and  said:  "Re- 
ceive ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  Yet  again,  after  that,  as  we 
see  in  Luke  xxiv.  49,  He  said  :  "  Behold,  I  send  the 
promise  of  My  Father  upon  you:  but  tarry  ye  in  the 

(97) 


98  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from 
on  high."  If  those  men  needed  to  be  endued  with  power, 
do  you  think  we  are  going  to  be  used  without  it  ?  The 
great  trouble  with  many  of  us  is,  that  we  are  working 
for  God  without  power.  We  are  sons  of  God — no  doubt 
about  that — and  daughters  of  God.  We  can  "  read  our 
titles  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies";  but  we  are  sons 
and  daughters  without  power.     That  is  the  trouble. 

Now  look  at  Acts  i.  8:  "Ye  shall  receive  power,  after 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you."  Notice,  Christ 
said  that  to  the  Apostles  after  they  had  been  with  Him 
three  years,  and  after  He  had  breathed  upon  them  and 
said:  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  There  are  two 
ways  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  to  a  man.  The 
Spirit  dwelling  in  him  is  one  thing,  and  the  Spirit  on  him 
for  power  is  another  thing.  I  think  that  is  where  Chris- 
tian people  are  misled.  The  trouble  is,  they  are  not 
looking  for  the  Spirit  of  God  for  service.  When  the  dis- 
ciples were  about  to  begin  their  great  work,  our  Lord 
said:  "  Ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  come  upon  you."  How  many,  do  you  suppose,  would 
have  been  converted  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  if  Peter 
had  gone  and  preached  without  this  power  ?  Not  one. 
The  disciples  were  commissioned  to  go  and  preach,  but 
they  were  to  wait  till  they  were  re-commissioned  and 
endued  with  power  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  "  Ye  shall  re- 
ceive power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 
you:  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me,  both  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  How  quickly  this  whole 
world  would  be  reached  if  we  were  just  looking  to  God 
for  this  same  Apostolic  power !  Turn  to  the  second 
chapter  of  Acts  and  see  how  the  promise  was  fulfilled. 
They  tarried  as  they  were  bidden,  waiting  and  praying 
for  the  Holy  Ghost,  when  suddenly  the  power  came,  and 


ENDUEMENT  FOR  SERVICE.  99 

they  were  ready  for  work.  And  there  was  more  work 
done  in  one  day  than  in  all  the  three  years  while  they 
were  with  Christ.  The  Lord  had  said:  "He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  Me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also;  and 
greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do;  because  I  go  unto 
My  Father."  "  If  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  Him  unto 
you."  When  the  power  came  upon  the  Apostles,  they  did 
greater  things  than  the  Master  ever  did.  There  was  a 
time  when  I  thought  the  raising  of  Lazarus  was  the 
greatest  work  ever  done  on  this  earth.  But  I  think  the 
conversion  of  those  3,000  Jews  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
was  more  wonderful  still.  Those  hard-hearted  Jews 
were  full  of  hatred  and  unbelief;  many,  no  doubt,  were 
the  same  men  who  murdered  Christ.  And  yet  they 
were  swept  down  by  the  mighty  power  of  the  Spirit. 
We  have  got  the  same  obstacles  to  contend  with  as  the 
Apostles  had.  Our  Gospel  that  we  are  preaching  is  a 
supernatural  Gospel,  and  we  have  got  to  have  super 
natural  power  to  preach  it. 

There  is  a  class  of  people  who  say:  "Yes;  I  know  the 
Spirit  came  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  but  He  came  in 
miraculous  power;  and  we  are  not  warranted  in  looking 
for  anything  like  that  to-day."  If  you  turn  to  the  fourth 
chapter  of  Acts  you  will  find  that  this  wonderful  work 
went  right  on  after  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Peter  and  John 
were  cast  into  prison,  and  brought  before  the  Sanhedrim. 
The  Council  didn't  dare  to  stone  them  to  death  because 
there  were  so  many  young  converts.  So  they  gave  them 
this  order:  "  Now,  you  can  preach  in  the  Temple  or 
wherever  you  like,  but  upon  one  condition — don't  you 
preach  any  more  in  this  man's  name."  The  Apostles 
went  forth  from  the  Sanhedrim  to  the  other  disciples, 
and  they  had  a  little  prayer-meeting.  What  was  the  re- 
sult ?   "  The  place  was  shaken  where  they  were  assembled 


100  D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME. 

together;  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  they  spake  the  word  of  God  with  boldness."  In  the 
second  of  Acts  it  says  that  "  they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost";  and  here,  in  the  fourth  of  Acts,  it  says 
again,  "  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  They 
had  either  lost  their  power  or  had  got  greater  capacity — 
I  don't  know  which.  There  are  a  great  many  men  who 
had  power  five  years  ago  that  haven't  got  it  now.  They 
are  like  Samson  robbed  of  his  strength,  or  like  fishermen 
working  with  old,  broken  nets.  Notice,  again,  that  about 
ten  years  after,  Peter  went  out  to  Csesarea  and  told  Cor- 
nelius the  words  whereby  he  and  his  house  were  saved. 
While  he  was  speaking,  what  happened  ?  "  The  Holy 
Ghost  fell  on  all  them  that  heard  the  word."  That  was 
about  ten  years  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  yet  they 
received  the  special  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  firmly 
believe  that  if  we  had  this  building  filled  with  men  and 
women  expecting  the  Pentecostal  power,  we  would  get 
it.  I  believe  if  this  building  was  filled  with  men  and 
women  hungry  for  the  Spirit  of  God,  we  would  have  this 
place  shaken,  and  there  would  be  an  influence  felt  not 
only  in  this  land,  but  in  foreign  lands.  It  wouldn't  take 
long  to  reach  the  whole  world.  Talk  about  twenty  years. 
It  needn't  take  twenty  years  if  the  Church  of  God  is 
baptized  and  quickened. 

Notice  that  those  who  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
immediately  begin  to  testify  of  Jesus  Christ.  Elisabeth, 
when  visited  by  the  Virgin,  was  "  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  and  spoke  of  the  coming  Lord.  Zacharias  also 
was  "  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  quoted  Scripture 
in  reference  to  the  Messiah.  Stephen  was  "  filled  with 
the  Spirit,"  and  received  such  unction  that  the  men  of 
the  synagogue  "  were  not  able  to  resist  the  wisdom  and 
the  spirit  by  which  he  spake."  He  was  able  to  stand  be- 
fore the  whole  Sanhedrim,  and  the  power  of  God  was  on 


ENDUEMENT  FOR  SERVICE.  IOI 

him  in  a  wonderful  degree  white  ]\&  testified  of  Christ. 
When  Peter  was  "filled  with  the -Spirit  "'he  went  out  to 
preach  Christ— he  couldn't  help  &  All  tfrr^ugU  thfe:New 
Testament  we  are  told  that  the  Apostles  w£re  again  and 
again  filled  with  the  Spirit.  And  as  they  preached  "  much 
people  were  added  to  the  church."  That  always  follows. 
There  will  be  conversions  breaking  out  in  all  the  churches 
if  we  are  filled  with  the  Spirit.  Let  us  pray  that  we  may 
receive  power  for  service.  Let  us  not  be  satisfied  with 
only  the  power  by  which  we  are  "  sealed  unto  the  day 
of  redemption  ";  but  let  us  pray  that  we  may  be  bap- 
tized with  that  power  from  on  high  by  which  we  can  do 
great  things  for  the  Master. 

It  is  important  to  know  whether  the  work  we  are  do- 
ing is  the  work  God  would  have  us  do.  I  remember 
that  one  time  when  Dr.  Kirk  came  to  Chicago,  his  old 
power  came  back  upon  him,  and  he  just  shook  that  city 
as  I  had  never  seen  it  shaken.  I  suppose  if  he  had 
stayed,  there  would  have  been  thousands  and  thousands 
converted.  The  Mayor  of  the  city  and  the  leading  men 
all  came  to  hear  him,  and  they  said:  "If  we  could  have 
that  kind  of  preaching  we  would  be  glad  to  hear  it." 
But  he  went  back  to  his  pastoral  work.  I  believe  that 
man  was  meant  for  an  evangelist ;  yet  he  went  back  to 
visit  the  widow  and  the  fatherless.  That  was  an  im- 
portant work,  but  others  could  have  done  it.  Some  men 
are  gifted  one  way  and  some  another.  One  man  has 
got  gifts  as  a  pastor,  and  another  has  got  gifts  as  an 
evangelist,  while  another  is  specially  qualified  to  stir 
up  Christians.  Let  every  one  ask,  "  Am  I  in  the  right 
place?  Am  I  where  God  wants  me  to  be?"  If  we 
would  do  that,  it  might  break  up  a  good  many  pastor- 
ates. Are  you  ready — ready  to  cut  the  tie?  When  I 
was  in  Chicago  I  used  to  take  a  circuit  out  in  the  coun- 
try, and  preach  during  the  week  evenings;  but  I  think 


102  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

I  made  a  great  mistake  in  binding  myself  too  closely  to 
my  regular  work-.  '•■  There  was  time  after  time  when 
there  would  be  &  hundred  inquirers  in  the  country,  and 
yet  I  would  hurry  away  so  as  to  preach  in  my  own  place 
in  the  city  on  Sunday  night,  and  then  perhaps  only  find 
myself  beating  against  the  air.  Let  us  be  ready  to  go 
anywhere — to  go  wherever  the  Master  calls. 

If  you  want  this  power  for  service  God  will  give  it  to 
you.  Just  say  :  "  Here  I  am,  Lord.  Send  me  where  you 
please — only  give  me  souls.  Give  me  power  to  win  souls 
for  Jesus  Christ."  When  that  is  the  uppermost  thought 
in  our  hearts  He  won't  disappoint  us.  "  He  that  spared 
not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how 
shall  He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give  us  all  things." 
If  He  gave  us  His  Son,  will  He  withhold  the  Spirit? 
"  Herein  is  My  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit." 
Are  you  toiling  all  night  and  catching  nothing  ?  Cast 
the  net  on  the  right  side.  Come,  my  friend,  are  you 
ready  to  go  anywhere  ?  Can  you  say  :  "  Lord,  send  me 
to  whom  you  will — only  send  me.  Let  that  power  come 
upon  me,  that  I  may  win  souls  for  Jesus  Christ "  ?  May 
we  have  no  will  but  God's  sweet  will.  Oh,  that  our  wills 
may  be  swallowed  up  in  God's  will.  I  believe  if  Gabriel 
should  tell  me  that  for  the  rest  of  my  days  I  could  have 
my  way,  I  wouldn't  have  it.  I  don't  know  enough  about 
the  future.  I  want  to  pray  :  "  Father,  not  my  will,  but 
Thine."  May  we  all  be  ready  to  run  if  He  wants  us  to 
run,  or  to  stand  still  if  He  wants  us  to  stand  still.  May 
we  say:  "  Here  we  are,  Lord;  take  us — take  us— fill  us — 
use  us."  I  think,  if  I  know  my  own  heart,  I  would  rather 
die  at  once  and  be  buried  right  off  than  to  live  with- 
out power.  Oh,  it  is  an  awfully  sad  thing  for  a  man 
to  outlive  his  usefulness — to  be  laid  aside  as  a  vessel  no 
longer  meet  for  the  Master's  use.  There  are  a  good  many 
Christians  God  can't  use  as  He  used  them  once.    He  has 


ENDUEMENT   FOR  SERVICE.  IO3 

got  a  good  many  children  that  were  full  of  power  a  year 
ago  or  five  years  ago,  but  they  are  ^ot  right  now.  How 
He  wants  to  use  them  !  Oh,  I  pray  from  the  depths  of 
my  soul  that  as  long  as  I  live  I  may  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  pray  that  we  may  be  filled  with 
this  power  from  on  high  ;  and  that  we  may  be  always 
ready — ready  for  anything. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

GEMS   FROM   NORTHFIELD. 

Best  Thoughts  of  Various  Conventions — Nuggets  from  the  Addresses 
of  Mr.  Moody,  Dr.  Bonar,  Dr.  Gordon,  Dr.  Pentecost,  Dr.  Pier- 
son,  Major  Whittle,  and  others. 

Paul  says:  "Be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  ex- 
cess; but  be  filled  with  the  Spirit."  Evidently  he  had  in 
mind  a  contrast  between  the  sensual  effects  of  strong  drink 
and  that  Divine  intoxication  which  comes  from  being 
filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  What  are  the  effects  of  alco- 
holic inebriation  ?  An  expansion  of  vision,  followed  by 
blurring  of  sight;  unnatural  exhibitions  before  the  brain; 
great  hilarity,  followed  by  moroseness;  on  the  muscular 
system,  in  stimulating  to  efforts;  upon  the  speech,  in 
muddling  language.  How  different  the  effects  of  the 
Holy  Spirit !  What  are  they  ?  The  eyes  see  with  truth 
and  power;  the  mind  is  aroused  to  grand  efforts  of 
thought;  the  faculty  of  speech  to  most  gracious  and 
eloquent  utterances;  while  the  whole  person  is  strength- 
ened and  the  disposition  attuned  to  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 
The  effects  of  drink  in  excess  are  disastrous;  no  man  can 
ever  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  to  excess. — Pierson. 

The  service  of  the  Israelites  was  very  similar  to  that 
of  surrounding  nations;  but  whereas  the  latter  kindled 
the  fires  upon  their  altars,  God  distinguished  His  service 
by  sending  down  fire  from  Heaven.  That  is  the  differ- 
ence between  true  religion  and  its  counterfeit.  Natural 
religion  depends  on  the  energy  of  the  flesh.  Supernat- 
(104) 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  lO$ 

ural  religion  depends  on  the  energy  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  which  comes  down  from  above.  It  is  quite  possi- 
ble to  be  perfectly  right  in  the  forms  of  our  service,  and 
yet  destitute  of  Divine  power. — Pentecost. 

We  need  to  realize  more  the  personality  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  A  Brooklyn  clergyman  lately  defined  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  a  shadowy  effluence  proceeding  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  How  would  it  sound  if  he  should  baptize 
a  child  "  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  shadowy  effluence,"  etc.?  Deny  the  personality  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  you  deny  everything. — Pierson. 

The  Divine  energy,  as  finally  manifested  to  the  Church, 
was  in  the  form  of  tongues  of  fire.  But  beware  of  strange 
fire  !  In  Lev.  xvi.  12,  Aaron  was  bidden  to  take  a  censer 
of  live  coals  from  off  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  and  use  it 
to  offer  up  incense.  He  must  not  kindle  the  censer  with 
any  other  fire  but  that  which  had  come  down  from 
Heaven.  It  was  the  neglect  and  contempt  of  this  com- 
mandment which  constituted  the  sin  of  Nadab  and 
Abihu.  They  dared  to  worship  God  with  strange  fire. 
Suppose  the  Apostles,  who  had  been  told  to  tarry  at  Je- 
rusalem till  fire  was  sent  down  from  Heaven,  had  dared 
to  disobey.  Suppose  Peter  had  said  to  John:  "John, 
four  or  five  days  have  passed,  and  how  do  we  know  the 
Spirit  is  coming  ?  Perhaps  it  has  come.  We  know  the 
Gospel;  we  are  witnesses  of  the  crucifixion  and  resur- 
rection; why  not  go  and  preach?"  What  would  have 
happened  ?  The  message  would  have  been  an  utter  fail- 
ure. We  have  the  Gospel,  we  have  right  forms,  but  oh  ! 
let  us  beware  of  preaching  in  the  energy  of  the  flesh. 
We  must  have  Holy  Ghost  power.  Nadab  and  Abihu 
were  slain  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation. Ananias  and  Sapphira  were  struck  dead  at  the 
very  beginning  of  the  history  of  the  Church.     I  some- 


106  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

times  tremble  lest  a  strange  fire  have  crept  unawares 
into  my  own  service.    We  need  to  watch. —Pentecost. 

I'm  glad  there  are  things  in  the  Bible  I  don't  under- 
stand. If  I  could  take  that  book  up  and,  read  it  as  I 
would  any  other  book,  I  might  think  I  could  write  a 
book  like  that,  or  that  you  could.  I  am  glad  there  are 
heights  I  haven't  been  able  to  climb  up  to.  I  am  glad 
there  are  depths  I  haven't  been  able  to  fathom.  It's  the 
best  proof  that  the  book  came  from  God.  I  suppose 
there  are  a  good  many  things  in  the  prophecies  concern- 
ing Christ  that  no  one  could  understand  till  Christ  came 
and  fulfilled  them.  Just  look  at  some  of  those  proph- 
ecies. He  was  to  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  carried 
into  Egypt.  When  that  announcement  was  made,  how 
strange  it  must  have  sounded  !  But  when  the  time  came, 
God  put  the  whole  world  in  motion  to  bring  Mary  to 
Bethlehem  so  that  Jesus  might  be  born  there.  Caesar 
issued  a  decree  that  the  whole  world  should  be  taxed. 
All  this  was  done  just  to  bring  that  virgin  up  to  Beth- 
lehem. I  believe  that  God  would  have  created  a  world 
rather  than  that  any  prophecy  should  be  unfulfilled. — 
Moody. 

I  believe  the  reason  people  won't  come  more  than 
they  do  into  our  churches  is  because  we  don't  feed 
them  enough  on  the  Word  of  God.  They  have  been  fed 
on  sawdust  long  enough.  For  men  who  have  nothing 
but  essays  it  is  hard  to  get  pulpits,  and  it  will  be  harder. 
The  reason  there  are  so  many  pulpits  vacant  is  that  there 
ain't  men  enough  willing  to  give  the  Word  of  God.  Go 
into  one  of  our  city  parks  in  winter  to  feed  the  birds  and 
throw  down  a  handful  of  sawdust.  You  may  deceive 
them  once,  but  you  won't  a  second  time.  But  throw 
down  crumbs,  and  they'll  sweep  them  up.  So  in  the 
churches,  give  people  the  Word  of  God  and  they  will 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  107 

know  the  difference.  A  man  once  made  an  artificial 
bee,  and  thought  no  one  could  tell  the  difference  be- 
tween that  and  a  real  bee.  But  another  man  said  he 
could  show  the  difference.  He  put  the  two  bees  down 
on  the  table,  and  then  put  a  drop  of  honey  before  them. 
The  real  bee  went  for  the  honey.  There  are  a  great 
many  artificial  Christians,  and  they  don't  want  the 
Word  of  God.  They'll  go  somewhere  else.  Well,  lei 
them  go.  For  every  one  that  goes,  five  will  take  his 
place.  What  we  want  is  to  give  people  the  Word  of 
God  in  season  and  out  of  season. — Moody. 

Isaiah  is  divided  in  the  original  into  three  portions, 
each  ending  with  a  mournful  refrain  concerning  the 
wicked.  These  refrains  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the 
48th  chapter,  of  the  57th  and  of  the  whole  book.  When 
God  divided  the  book  into  three  portions  He  must  have 
meant  something ;  and  so  in  the  centre  of  the  middle 
portion  we  find  that  wonderful  piece  of  poetry,  the 
crown-jewel,  the  blood-red  ruby — the  53d  chapter.  In 
the  British  Navy  there  is  a  scarlet  thread  running 
through  every  line  of  cordage,  and  though  a  rope  be  cut 
into  inch  pieces,  it  can  be  recognized  as  belonging  to 
the  Government.  So  is  there  a  scarlet  thread  running 
all  through  the  Bible — the  whole  book  points  to  Christ. 
In  the  promise  made  to  Adam  appears,  as  it  were,  the 
first  twig  of  a  tree.  Twig  after  twig  is  added,  till  we 
can  count  not  only  200  direct  promises  of  the  Messiah, 
but  1,500  direct  and  indirect.  Then,  as  history  comes  to 
fulfil  these  predictions,  each  little  twig  in  turn  is  set  on 
fire,  yet  not  consumed,  till  finally  the  whole  tree  becomes 
a  great  burning  bush,  and  we  take  off  our  shoes  and 
stand  in  awe,  for  it  is  holy  ground. — Pierson. 

Under  the  old  dispensation  a  man  was  righteous 
at   the   end  of   works   and   sacrifices ;    under  the   new, 


108  D.  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

Christ  having  done  all,  He  is  righteous  at  the  beginning, 
and  thence  proceeds  to  work  on.  It  is  now  possible  to 
be  righteous  at  the  beginning  of  one's  life  rather  than  at 
the  end  of  it. — Gordon. 

Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  we  can  and  do  make 
it  hard  for  Christ  to  confess  us.  For  as  the  devil  of  old 
came  into  the  presence  of  God  accusing  Job,  so  now  the 
devil  in  a  sense  enters  the  courts  of  Heaven  accusing  us 
before  the  Father.  Here  is  some  poor  trembling,  falter- 
ing sinner  who  walks  unworthy  of  the  vocation  where- 
unto  he  is  called.  The  devil  comes  before  God,  and 
says:  "Ah,  yes ;  that  is  one  of  Yours — who  promised  to 
serve  You  and  be  faithful,  and  yet  see  how  he  is  living." 
Christ's  reply  is :  "  Well,  he  has  confessed  Me  before 
men,  and  I  promised  to  confess  him  before  My  Father. 
Yes;  he  is  one  of  Mine,  and  I  am  hoping  that  this  and 
that  will  remove  every  trace  of  evil."  It  is  a  hard  thing 
for  Christ  to  confess  us  in  the  face  of  our  many  inconsist- 
encies, but  He  is  faithful  to  His  promise. — Gordon. 

I  think  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  Joseph  of  Ari- 
mathea  was  a  rich  man,  and  that  before  his  conversion 
he  had  a  good  deal  of  pride  and  ambition,  which  wealth 
so  often  gives  to  a  man.  And  it  was  the  fashion  among 
the  rich  people  of  that  day  to  have  a  tomb  at  Jerusalem. 
I  suppose  Joseph  thought,  "  I  would  like  to  have  a 
sepulchre  too,  to  perpetuate  my  name."  It  was  not  easy, 
however,  getting  sites;  and  all  the  good  places  had 
been  taken.  But  at  last  he  found  a  place  for  his  tomb 
at  a  point  you  would  never  have  expected  him  to  fix 
upon — near  Calvary.  There  was  a  spot  to  be  bought 
there,  and  Joseph  bought  it;  and  being  near  the  place 
of  execution,  he  took  care  to  have  a  garden  round  it. 
Little  did  he  know,  at  that  time,  and  less  did  he  care, 
what  was  to  come  of  this.     God  often  has  a  plan  in  the 


GEMS  FROM  NORTHFIELD.  IO9 

lives  of  unconverted  men  which  they  know  little  of.— 
Bonar. 

-It  is  written,  "Not  many  wise,  not  many  rich,  not 
many  noble  are  called";  yet  the  Lord  always  has  some 
wise,  some  rich,  some  noble,  among  His  followers. 
When  Joseph  of  Arimathea  came  to  Christ  and  believed 
in  Him,  Christ  did  not  tell  him  to  give  up  his  position 
in  society,  and  become  as  a  fisherman.  No;  Christ 
evidently  intended  him  to  remain  where  he  was,  as  a 
counsellor  and  witness  for  Him  among  those  with  whom 
he  daily  came  in  contact.  You  know  it  is  far  more 
difficult  to  speak  to  your  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  bear 
testimony  for  Christ,  than  to  go  to  those  who  do  not 
know  you.  When  a  young  man  is  converted,  he  is  al- 
most always  inclined  at  first  to  say:  "  I  shall  give  up 
my  position.  I  know  I  could  do  far  more  good  if  I  was 
a  preacher;  so  I'll  leave  my  business  and  become  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel."  Now,  before  any  one  does  a 
thing  of  that  sort,  he  should  be  very  careful  that  God 
wants  him  to  do  it.  Very  often  mistakes  are  made  just 
in  this  way.  God  may  have  given  you  some  work  to  do 
in  the  position  in  which  He  has  placed  you,  which  no 
one  could  do  if  you  were  to  leave  it  undone. — Bonar. 

"  I  will  go  to  Pilate,"  says  Joseph,  "  since  I  can  do 
no  more,  and  ask  for  the  body;  and  I  will  bury  my 
Master  in  my  own  tomb."  So  he  finds  his  way  to 
Pilate's  house,  and  he  se*eks  an  interview.  And  here  his 
well-known  good  character  stands  him  in  good  stead, 
for  the  answer  comes  from  Pilate  at  once — "  Yes,  let 
him  come  in,  by  all  means."  Then  Joseph  tells  his 
errand.  "Ah,  is  He  dead  already?"  "Yes,"  says 
Joseph.  Well,  Pilate  would  rather  have  the  official 
testimony  as  well;  so  he  calls  upon  the  officers;  and 
when  he  finds  their  report  agrees  with  Joseph's,  he  is 


HO  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

quite  ready  to  grant  him  what  he  asks.  Then  Nico- 
demus  joins  Joseph,  and  they  two — two  councillors,  two 
rich  men—bring  with  them  spices  and  fine  linen;  and 
they  come  to  the  cross.  They  don't  care  who  is  looking 
for  them;  nor  how  they  are  scorned.  And  in  that  hour 
the  prophecy  is  fulfilled.  There  is  not  only  one  rich 
man,  but  two,  at  the  cross. — Bonar. 

"God  spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned,  but  cast 
them  down  to  hell."  The  sin  was  one  sin,  and  God 
spared  them  not.  What  was  that  one  sin  ?  They  "kept 
not  their  first  estate."  They  "  left  their  own  habitation." 
The  idea  seems  to  be  that  in  pride  of  heart  they  were 
discontented  with  the  position  God  had  placed  them  in, 
and  they  left  it.  Like  Adam  taking  the  forbidden  fruit, 
it  was  the  simplest  act  possible,  and  we  know  what  it 
entailed.  The  lesson  for  us  is  a  very  solemn  one.  How 
often  we  say,  "  Oh,  this  is  only  one  sin."  You  trifle 
with  one  sin.  But  we  see  here  that  one  sin  may  bring 
eternal  wretchedness— eternal  wrath.  Again,  it  was  the 
first  sin.  As  when  Adam  took  the  forbidden  fruit,  the 
moment  they  sinned  their  first  sin,  God  spared  them 
not. — Bonar. 

Never  trifle  with  one  sin.  It  is  like  the  little  cloud, 
which,  as  a  poet  has  said,  may  hold  a  hurricane  in  its 
grasp.  The  next  sin  you  commit  may  have  a  mighty 
effect  in  the  blighting  of  your  life.  You  do  not  know 
the  streams  that  may  flow  from  that  fountain;  for  sin 
is  a  fountain — not  a  mere  act,  but  a  fountain  of  evil. — 
Bonar. 

God  "spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned,  but  cast 
them  down  to  hell."  Correctly  this  should  be  trans- 
lated, "  turned  their  faces  hellward,  and  reserved  them 
for  chains  of  darkness."  They  were  not  to  have  those 
chains  put  on  till  Christ  should  come  to  bind  Satan 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  Ill 

with  all  his  followers.  They  were,  however,  immediately 
turned  hellward.  God  saw  it  just  and  righteous  to  visit 
them  with  this  wrath.  Anything  less  would  have  shaken 
the  throne  of  His  holiness.  He  must  show  His  abhor- 
rence of  sin,  and  make  the  universe  to  know,  and  know 
forever,  what  sin  is,  and  what  sin  deserves.  Whenever 
♦we  get  a  glimpse  of  these  fallen  spirits  they  never  com- 
plain. Now  and  then  in  the  Gospel  history  we  find 
they  crossed  Christ's  path.  They  never  say:  "  Thou 
hast  deatt  too  severely  with  us."  No;  it  is,  "Thou  Holy 
One  of  God." — Bonar. 

A  godly  priest  in  the  Middle  Ages  preached  the  Gos- 
pel to  a  listless  audience.  A  dark-looking  stranger  came 
up  to  him  after  the  service — so  goes  the  legend — and 
said:  "Come  down  to  hell,  and  make  us  one  such  offer." 
But  there  is  no  such  offer  in  hell.  What  will  become  of 
the  sinner  who  does  not  accept  the  atoning  blood  ?  The 
Son  was,  for  our  sakes,  put  in  the  position  of  the  angels 
whom  "  God  spared  not,"  and  we  are  eternally  free  if  we 
choose  to  be  so.  No  doubt  the  spirits  below  cry,  "Oh, 
that  we  could  recall  the  first  spark  that  fired  all  that  train 
of  evil  and  wrath."  Then  beware  of  the  next  sin.  It  may 
cause  your  eternal  ruin. — Bonar. 

There  is  nothing  the  world  so  wants  as  holy  men.  The 
cause  of  Christ  is  paralyzed  because  of  sin — sin  in  be- 
lievers. The  natural  man  will  always  take  sides  against 
God  when  you  press  him  close,  and  say,  "  God  isn't  going 
to  punish  sin.  He  wouldn't  do  this  or  that."  But  the  new 
man  ought  always  to  justify  God,  and  take  sides  with  Him 
against  sin.  There  ought  to  be  that  difference  between 
God's  children  and  the  children  of  the  world;  and  when 
people  say  the  punishment  is  severe  and  unjust,  we  should 
side  with  God,  and  say,  "  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  do  right  ? "    God  will  do  right.    Every  one  will  say 


112  D.   L.   MOODY   AT  HOME. 

"Amen  "  when  it  comes  to  the  punishment  of  sin.  And 
we  should  all  condemn  sin  as  God  condemns  it,  the  mo- 
ment we  see  it.  It  is  in  ourselves,  though  sometimes  it 
is  hid  from  us.  It  may  be  some  hidden  sin  that  keeps 
God  from  using  us  more.  Let  us  be  honest  with  God, 
and  ask  Him  to  search  us  and  show  us  ourselves.  Let 
David's  prayer  be  ours:  "  Search  me,  Omy  God" — not  my 
neighbors,  nor  other  people,  but  "  Search  me  !  " — Moody. 

My  little  boy,  since  taken  to  Heaven,  once-asked  me: 
"  Papa,  how  is  it  that  one  person,  Christ,  could  atone  for 
the  sin  of  millions  of  men  ?  "  We  were  in  a  garden  at  the 
time.  Said  I  to  the  boy:  "Suppose  there  was  on  the 
ground  there  a  handful  of  worms;  don't  you  think  you 
would  be  more  valuable  than  those  worms?"  "Yes." 
"Suppose  that  wheelbarrow  was  full  of  worms;  would 
younot.be  more  valuable  than  them  all?"  "Yes."  "Sup- 
pose all  the  millions  of  worms  in  the  earth  were  gathered 
together,  would  you  not  still  be  more  valuable  than  they, 
no  matter  how  many?"  "Yes;  I  am  sure  I  would." 
"  Then,  is  there  not  a  far  greater  difference  in  the  scale 
of  being  between  Christ  and  man  than  between  man  and 
the  worm  ?  We  are  creatures.  God  is  the  Creator.  Had 
many  other  worlds  sinned  as  well  as  ours,  the  blood  of 
Christ  would  be  more  than  sufficient  to  atone  for  them." 
— R.  C.  Morgan. 

If  you  do  not  indulge  in  godly  sorrow,  is  it  not  likely 
you  are  losing  a  good  deal  of  sanctification  ?  Have  we 
nothing  to  repent  of  ?  No  wasted  hours  ?  How  little 
we  have  done  for  God  !  Ah,  that  we  had  prayed  more  ! 
If  we  had  prayed  more  we  need  not  have  worked  so  hard. 
We  have  too  little  praying  face  to  face  with  God  every 
day.  Looking  back  at  the  end  I  suspect  there  will  be 
great  grief  for  our  sins  of  omission — omission  to  get  from 
God  what  we  might  have  got  by  praying.— Bonar. 


GEMS  FROM  NCRTHFIELD.  113 

If  we  really  believe  that  God  loved  us  with  His  whole 
heart,  what  a  help  it  would  be  to  us  in  our  daily  lives  ! 
We  would  then  feel  that  we  could  go  at  any  moment  into 
the  presence  of  a  loving  Father,  who  cared  as  much  for 
us  as  if  He  had  nothing  else  to  care  for.  A  child  may 
come  into  the  presence  of  its  earthly  father,  except 
when  the  parent  is  occupied.  Our  Heavenly  Father  is 
never  so  occupied.  At  all  times  He  will  bestow  on  us 
the  same  attention.  A  child  likes  to  play  in  the  presence 
of  its  earthly  parents,  even  though  they  take  no  notice 
of  it,  and  is  happy  simply  because  it  is  with  them.  How 
much  more  ought  we  to  be  joyous  in  our  Heavenly 
Father's  presence.  We  need  not  be  always  singing.  The 
heart  has  a  silent  language.  There  is  too  little  of  adora- 
tion—simple worship— at  the  present  time.— Bonar. 

We  have  a  seat  at  the  King's  table,  and  that  seat  is 
kept  waiting  for  us.  Sometimes  God  longs  to  see  that 
seat  filled,  and  so  He  removes  His  child  from  this  world 
to  a  better.  We  wonder  why  such  and  such  Christians 
are  taken  from  among  us;  but  God  was  weary  without 
them. — Bonar. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  faults  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment characters,  no  mention  is  made  of  them  in  the  New 
Testament.  There  they  are  always  referred  to  as  saints 
without  blemish.  It  seems  that  God  delights  to  praise 
His  saints.  He  keeps  His  promise  that  He  will  not  only 
forgive  but  forget  their  iniquities,  and  He  remembers 
only  their  good  qualities. — Bonar. 

An  infidel  said  tome:  "In  the  eleventh  chapter  of  He- 
brews we  see  the  Old  Testament  characters  spoken  of  as 
saints  of  the  very  first  order.  Now,  from  what  we  read 
about  them  in  the  Old  Testament,  they  must  have  been 
a  nice  lot  of  saints.  Is  that  all  your  religion  can  do  ? " 
I  told  the  objector  he  was  going  a  little  too  fast;  that 


114  .  D«  L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

the  eleventh  chapter  came  after  the  tenth,  and  that  to 
understand  the  eleventh  he  must  read  the  tenth.  In  that 
chapter  God  said:  "Their  sins  and  their  iniquities  I  will 
remember  no  more."  Well,  after  He  had  said  that,  He 
couldn't  say  anything  about  their  sins,  for  He  had  for- 
gotten them. — Pentecost. 

Although  God  forgave  the  sins  of  Jacob  and  David, 
and  the  other  Old  Testament  saints,  yet  there  were  cer- 
tain consequences  of  their  sins  which  those  saints  had 
to  suffer  after  they  were  forgiven.  If  a  man  gets  drunk 
and  goes  out  and  breaks  his  leg,  so  that  it  must  be  am- 
putated, God  will  forgive  him  if  he  asks  it,  but  he  will 
have  to  hop  around  on  one  leg  all  his  life.  A  man  may 
sow  thistle-seed  with  grain-seed  in  a  moment  of  pique 
against  his  master,  and  the  master  may  forgive  him,  but 
the  man  will  have  to  reap  the  thistles  with  the  grain. — 
Moody. 

We  don't  thank  and  praise  God  half  enough.  That  is 
one  reason  why  so  many  of  our  churches  are  so  dull  and 
gloomy.  When  churches  get  into  a  backslidden  state, 
they  hire  singers  to  stand  away  up  in  some  organ-loft 
and  praise  God  for  them.  How  can  we  expect  God  to 
give  us  further  blessings  if  we  don't  thank  Him  for  what 
He  has  given  us  ?  There  ought  to  be  more  of  thanks- 
giving in  our  prayers,  and  there  ought  to  be  more  of 
thanksgiving  from  the  heart  in  our  singing.  One  of 
the  best  ways  to  wake  a  church  up  and  start  a  revival, 
is  to  hold  a  praise-meeting. — Moody. 

One  Christmas  morning  my  little  boy  awoke  at  about 
four  o'clock,  and  got  up  to  see  what  was  in  his  stocking. 
He  found  a  box  of  paints  and  a  little  book.  Said  he: 
"Santa  Claus  knew  just  what  I  wanted,'  and  went  off 
contentedly  to  sleep.  When  he  arose  at  the  usual  time, 
he  was  shown,  in  a  lower  room,  a  whole  tree  full  of 


GEMS  FfcOM  NORTHFIELD.  HJ 

presents  for  him.  He  was  satisfied  with  the  trifles,  which 
he  thought  were  all  he  was  to  get;  and  what  was  the  joy 
of  the  mother  to  lead  him  into  the  place  where  greater 
things  were  prepared  for  him.  When  Christians  are  grate- 
ful for  what  they  have  already  received,  the  Lord  de- 
lights to  give  them  far  greater  blessings. — Sankey. 

Communion  with  God  has  the  effect  to  make  us  joy- 
ous. The  Lord  does  not  like  to  see  any  of  His  disciples 
looking  sad.  If  you  cannot  do  anything  else  for  the 
Master,  then  shine  for  Him.  Some  people  you  cannot 
drive  from  you  any  other  way.  There  are  those  who 
seek  to  entice  you  to  follow  the  world  with  them.  They 
cannot  be  induced  to  see  Christ  as  you  do.  Let  your 
face  shine  with  the  brightness  that  comes  from  com- 
munion with  God,  and  they  will  not  trouble  you.  Chris- 
tians can  sometimes  do  more  by  shining  for  God  than 
by  speaking  for  Him. — Bonar. 

There  is  no  power  like  love.  I  loved  my  little  boy 
long  before  he  loved  me.  One  night  I  heard  him  say  to 
his  mamma,  when  he  thought  me  asleep,  "  I  love  papa." 
What  a  thrill  of  joy  that  gave  me  !  I  had  loved  him 
from  infancy,  but  now  he  was  beginning  to  love  me.  A 
few  weeks  before,  he  might  have  seen  me  carried  out  of 
the  house  in  a  coffin,  and  perhaps,  not  knowing  better, 
have  thoughtlessly  laughed  about  it.  But  now  my  love 
for  him  had  found  a  response.  Something  like  this  is 
the  feeling  God  has  when  a  sinner  melts  under  His  love. 
Love  produces  love.  What  a  power  it  might  become  in 
our  pulpits  and  Sunday-school  classes  and  meetings  ! 
The  reason  we  have  so  little  love  for  Jesus  Christ  is  that 
we  are  so  little  acquainted  with  Him.  The  more  inti- 
mately we  get  acquainted  with  the  Son  of  God,  the  more 
shall  we  love  Him,  and  we  may  get  acquainted  with 
Him  by  reading  about  Him  in  the  Word. — Moody. 


Il6  D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME. 

One  reason  why  we  should  be  intensely  interested  in 
the  coming  of  Christ  is  that  we  are  enjoined  so  often 
to  have  regard  to  it.  I  don't  know  that  there  is  any 
one  matter  of  duty — indeed,  I  am  sure  there  is  no  mat- 
ter of  duty  we  are  so  often  pointed  to  with  the  finger  of 
God  as  this:  to  look  forward  to  the  coming  of  Christ. 
You  will  find  fifty  times,  I  am  sure,  the  coming  of  Christ 
adduced  and  enjoined  on  us  as  a  reason  for  the  practice 
of  special  duties  and  the  cultivation  of  special  graces. 
Even  that  one  word  "Watch"  the  Lord  uses  198  times. 
If  you  don't  let  the  thought  of  Christ's  coming  interest 
you,  in  all  the  variety  of  ways  in  which  it  is  presented 
to  us  in  the  Epistles,  and  by  the  Lord  Himself,  your 
holiness  will  suffer  great  loss. — Bonar. 

In  Edinburgh,  when  our  Queen  first  came,  the  vessel 
that  brought  her  landed  in  the  even/ng.  It  was  con- 
cluded— "  Oh,  she  will  not  come  ashore  till  nine  in  the 
morning,"  and  our  Lord  Provost  had  that  idea.  But 
what  happened  ?  The  Queen  was  very  famous — used 
to  be  when  she  was  active — for  taking  people  by  sur- 
prise, and  she  landed  between  six  and  seven.  The  Chief 
Magistrate  was  sadly  ashamed  of  himself.  He  didn't 
lose  his  place;  he  was  still  what  he  was  before;  but  he 
bitterly  regretted  that  he  had  not  been  waiting  for  her, 
to  welcome  her  when  she  set  foot  upon  the  shore.  I 
think  that  will  be  the  way  with  those  who  are  not  look- 
ing out  for  Christ's  kingdom.  They  will  regret  not  hav- 
ing been  waiting  for  Him,  when  they  might  have  been 
there  to  give  Him  a  hearty  welcome. — Bonar. 

Christ  says  He  will  take  us  by  surprise.  Dr.  Payson 
has  a  striking  idea  about  it.  He  says  :  "  Yon  is  a  great 
city.  It  is  a  busy  market-day.  They  are  all  busy  in  the 
market-place.  Some  one  looks  up,  and  is  struck  with 
an  unusual  appearance  in  the  sky,     He  keeps  his  eye  on 


GEMS  FROM  NORTHFIELD.  117 

it.  He  touches  his  neighbor  and  says,  'What  is  yon?' 
As  they  are  looking,  a  third  and  fourth  join.  The  ap- 
pearance seems  getting  redder  and  redder — brighter  and 
brighter.  A  dozen  or  twenty  join  the  group.  As  they 
are  all  gazing  up,  the  hum  of  the  market  ceases.  The 
whole  market  looks  up,  and  cries,  *  What  is  this  in  the 
sky  ? '  The  brightness  is  becoming  an  exceeding  bright- 
ness— brighter  than  the  sun  at  noon.  The  sun  is  dark- 
ened. The  brightness  becomes  insufferable.  *  Look  ! 
Our  shadows  are  all  cast  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
what  they  were  a  little  while  ago.'  A  human  form  is 
seen.  It  is  the  coming  of  the  Lord  again.  He  has 
burst  upon  us  in  an  hour  when  we  were  not  thinking." 
Well,  I  dare  say  something  like  that  will  occur  in  many 
a  city  of  our  world  in  that  day.  When  He  does  appear, 
it  will  be  a  glorious  appearing. — Bonar. 

In  a  town  of  Switzerland  a  few  years  ago,  some  work- 
ingmen  going  early  to  work,  walking  along  the  street, 
saw  a  white  figure  on  the  top  of  a  high  house.  What 
was  it?  A  lady  in  her  night-dress;  and  she  was  sitting 
looking  down,  quite  happy,  smiling  in  perfect  security. 
She  was  a  somnambulist.  She  had  risen  in  her  sleep 
without  any  one  in  the  house  knowing  it,  and  had  taken 
her  station,  and  was  pleasantly  looking  about,  and  no 
doubt  dreaming — dreaming  pleasant  dreams.  Well ; 
they  didn't  know  what  they  could  do  to  save  her  from 
her  peril.  Just  as  they  were  talking  together,  the  sun 
rose.  A  bright  beam  of  the  sun  fell  upon  her  eyes;  she 
saw  where  she  was ;  gazed  one  moment  around,  and 
then  fell  headlong— killed  on  the  spot.  It  was  an  awful 
awakening.  Fellow-sinner,  if  you  are  out  of  Christ,  and 
the  day  of  His  coming  overtakes  you — oh,  what  if  the 
first  beam  of  that  bright  day  be  the  first  moment  of  your 
awakening,  and  it  is  too  late  ! — Bonar. 


Il8  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

All  believers  have  been  set  apart  to  Christ.  But, 
when  vessels  are  set  aside,  dust  settles  on  them.  Daily- 
cleansing,  therefore,  is  needed.  Observe  how  careful 
and  particular  were  the  injunctions  concerning  the 
cleansing  of  vessels  under  the  Levitical  law.  When  any- 
creeping  thing  touched  a  vessel  after  it  was  dead,  the 
vessel  had  to  be  placed  in  water  until  the  even.  We 
are  constantly  touching  the  dead  things  of  the  world. 
We  may  be  unconscious  of  it,  but  the  touch  contami- 
nates us.  Therefore  we  must  make  daily  application  to 
be  cleansed  from  all  defilement. — Needham. 

A  telegraph  wire  must  be  completely  insulated  be- 
fore it  can  convey  the  electric  communication.  So  we 
must  be  separated  from  the  world  before  God's  message 
to  sinners  can  have  free  course  through  us.  When  Sa- 
ladin  looked  at  the  sword  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Leon,  he 
wondered  that  a  blade  so  ordinary  should  have  wrought 
such  mighty  deeds.  The  English  king  bared  his  arm, 
and  said,  "  It  was  not  the  sword  that  did  these  things ; 
it  was  the  arm  of  Richard."  In  like  manner  we  should 
be  instruments  that  the  Lord  can  use,  and  when  He  has 
used  us,  the  glory  should  all  be  His. — Pentecost. 

In  the  economy  of  redemption  it  was  arranged  by  the 
three  persons  of  the  Godhead  that  the  Spirit's  work  was 
to  be  unseen  and  silent.  He  was  to  be  like  the  wind. 
You  cannot  see  it,  but  the  effects  of  it  you  can  see  plainly. 
The  Spirit  has  all  along,  in  the  most  wondrous  kindness, 
consented — if  I  may  use  the  expression — to  be  thus  hid 
while  doing  His  work.  No  jealousy  of  the  Son;  no 
jealousy  of  the  Father.  He  delights  to  take  of  the  things 
of  Christ  and  show  them  to  us — and  because  they  are  the 
things  of  the  Father,  too.  But  He  does  it  all  quietly — 
so  silently  and  quietly  that  very  generally  a  soul  is 
brought  to  Christ  without  thinking  very  much  about  the 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  119 

Spirit,  and  it  is  only  afterward  that  the  soul  says,  "Well, 
I  would  never  have  known  this  but  for  the  Spirit.  It 
was  He  that  took  the  seals  from  my  eyes."  Isn't  there 
amazing  love  in  this  ? — Bonar. 

In  the  last  chapter  of  the  Bible  see  how  the  Spirit  is 
waiting  for  our  complete  joy— waiting  along  with  us  for 
the  hour  when  we  shall  be  glorified;  for  that  is  the 
meaning  of  the  first  clause  of  the  seventeenth  verse, 
"  The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come."  The  Spirit  and 
the  Bride  say,  "  Come,  Lord."  And  the  Spirit  and  the 
Bride  also  say,  "  Whoever  hears,  take  up  the  cry,  Come, 
come,  Lord  Jesus";  and  while  you  do  this,  look  around 
upon  a  perishing  world,  and  tell  them  to  make  haste  and 
come  to  Christ.  Tell  them  not  to  lose  their  opportunity 
of  such  blessedness.  "  Let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 
These  are  the  Spirit's  last  words,  and  aren't  they  full  of 
lOVe_full  of  grace  ?  Do  you  not  see  His  heart  flowing 
out  to  us  in  every  syllable  ? — Bonar. 

God  has  a  niche  for  every  one  of  His  children.  Happy 
the  man  or  woman  who  has  found  his  or  her  place.  A 
great  many  men  want  to  do  big  things.  That  is  the 
mistake  I  made  when  I  started  out.  I  wanted  to  preach 
to  intelligent  people,  but  I  found  the  people  didn't  like 
to  hear  me.  So  I  began  with  the  children.  They  liked 
to  hear  me,  and  I  got  along  very  well— I  grew  right  up 
along  with  them.  But  it  was  years  before  I  could  talk 
profitably  to  grown  people.  I  talked  to  the  children, 
and  it  was  a  grand  school.  It  was  the  preparation  I 
needed.     That  was  my  theological  seminary.— Moody. 

I  remember  preaching  in  Liverpool  in  a  certain  church, 
and  the  results  were  astonishing.  In  ten  days  that 
church  took  in  400  new  members.  I  was  amazed.  But 
I  learned  that  a  poor  old  bedridden  woman  had  been 


120  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

praying  about  it.  When  we  get  to  the  other  world, 
and  find  out  the  secrets  of  Heaven,  we  will  find  that 
some  people  we  never  hear  of  now — some  bedridden 
saint,  some  one  living  way  up  near  the  gates  of  para- 
dise— will  have  accomplished  a  great  deal  more  than 
some  men  who  have  been  heralded  through  the  press. — 
Moody. 

A  man  asked  me  once:  "Isn't  conscience  a  safer  guide 
than  the  Holy  Spirit?"  I  just  took  out  my  watch,  and 
said:  "  Isn't  my  watch  better  than  the  sun  ?  "  Suppose  I 
said  to  you:  "I  will  tell  you  the  hour  by  my  watch,  and 
you  must  always  take  the  time  from  me."  That  is  con- 
science. But  it  is  the  sun  that  is  to  rule  the  time. 
Conscience  is  fallen  and  corrupt.  If  we  had  an  unfallen 
conscience,  like  holy  Adam,  it  would  be  as  if  my  watch 
were  always  to  agree  with  the  sun.  But  now  it  is  a 
most  unsafe  guide.  Sometimes  we  hear  men  say:  "  Oh, 
I  don't  see  any  harm  in  this.  My  conscience  doesn't 
condemn  me."  It  isn't  your  conscience,  or  your  con- 
sciousness, that  is  the  rule  of  right  and  wrong.  The 
law  is  the  standard.  By  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of 
sin.  Sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law;  not  of  con- 
science.— Bonar. 

A  person  does  not  commit  the  unpardonable  sin  by 
any  one  act.  It  is  by  a  course  of  resistance  against 
God.  God,  by  His  Spirit,  shows  the  man  the  way  of 
life,  and  presses  him  to  enter  upon  it,  and  he  resists. 
How  long  the  Spirit  of  God  will  wait  upon  that  resist- 
ing man,  it  is  not  for  us  to  say;  but  it  is  an  awfully 
perilous  thing  for  a  man,  even  for  another  minute,  to 
resist  Him.  For  He  may  say:  "I  will  strive  no  more. 
I  withdraw."  And  then  the  sin  is  never  forgiven.  The 
Spirit  takes  a  final  farewell  of  the  man  who  has  so  resist- 
ed Him;  and  then  the  man  has  no  more  care  for  pardon. 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  121 

He  will  not  care  about  the  coming  judgment.  He  will 
never,  I  suppose,  be  troubled  till  the  trump  sounds  and 
he  is  summoned  into  the  presence  of  God,  all  unpre- 
pared.— Bonar. 

It  is  said  that  "Pharaoh  hardened  his  heart ";  and  it 
is  also  said  that  God  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart.  The 
children  of  Israel,  when  in  Egypt,  had  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  bricks — working  clay  into  bricks.  Now,  they 
say  that  if  you  want  to  harden  blue  clay,  there  is  a  very 
simple  way  to  do  it.  The  worker  in  the  brick  has  just 
to  withhold  water,  and  leave  the  clay  where  it  is  in  the 
sunshine.  If  he  leaves  it  there  without  pouring  water 
on  it,  it  becomes  as  hard  as  a  stone;  whereas,  if  he 
wishes  to  soften  it,  he  takes  care  to  water  it,  and  to 
water  it  often,  and  the  clay  keeps  soft,  and  can  be 
moulded  into  any  shape.  Now,  when  God  by  His 
Spirit  works  upon  the  soul,  He  is  just  pouring  water 
upon  the  clay;  but  when  He  must  leave  the  soul,  what 
He  does  is  just  to  withdraw  the  water  and  the  soul 
hardens.  When  the  sinner  reaches  that  state,  sermons 
affect  him  no  longer.  God  just  says  of  him:  "  Ephraim 
is  joined  to  his  idols;  let  him  alone." — Whittle. 

A  gentleman  once  came  to  my  friend,  Dr.  Somerville, 
and  said:  "My  son  is  going  away  to  South  America. 
He  will  not  be  within  reach  of  the  ordinances  of  re- 
ligion. I  know  he  will  have  no  Sabbath;  and  he  is  to 
be  away  three  years.  Now,  I  want  you  to  pray  for  him, 
that  he  may  not  lose  all  the  good  disposition  he  seems 
to  feel."  Dr.  Somerville  looked  at  him  and  said:  "Ay; 
you  are  going  to  put  your  son's  head  into  the  mouth  of 
a  lion,  and  then  going  to  stand  and  pray,  '  May  the  lion 
not  crush  him  ! '  " — Bonar. 

John  the  Baptist  was  only  six  months  a  preacher.  No 
more.    Thirty  years'  preparation  for  six  months'  preach- 


122  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

ing  !  But  those  were  months  of  mighty  blessing.  .  The 
effect  of  it  was  of  this  nature :  It  shook  the  whole  of  Judea; 
it  shook  Jerusalem;  it  shook  the  Temple.  Men  came 
out  to  him.  He  never  went  to  them;  they  went  out  to 
him — there  was  such  an  amazing  power  in  his  preaching 
and  character.  And  you  know  the  effects  to  this  day. 
Some  of  the  things  said  about  the  effects  of  his  preach- 
ing are  very  interesting.  "  Since  John  began  to  preach," 
says  Christ,  "  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  suffereth  vio- 
lence, and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  That  is  to  say, 
men  are  determined  not  to  lose  their  opportunity;  they 
snatch  at  the  offer  when  it  is  within  their  reach.  It 
must  have  been  a  mighty  uprising.  I  wish  we  had  such 
days  again.  When  we  get  men  of  such  fellowship  with 
God,  I  think  we  may  expect  days  like  those  to  dawn. 
Men  will  be  coming  to  us  from  every  side,  and  saying, 
"  What  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ? " — Bonar. 

One  of  my  elders  said  in  prayer-meeting:  "As  I  was 
coming  along  Argyle  Street "  (one  of  our  busiest  streets 
in  Glasgow),  "  I  saw  a  crowd  at  a  shop-door,  and  I  had 
the  curiosity  to  look  in.  There  I  saw  an  auctioneer 
holding  up  a  grand  picture  so  that  all  could  see  it;  and 
when  he  got  it  in  position,  he  stayed  behind  and  said  to 
the  crowd,  '  Now,  look  at  this  side  of  the  picture,  and 
now  at  this  other  side,'  and  so  on,  describing  each  part 
of  it.  Now,"  said  this  good  man,  "the  whole  time  I 
never  saw  the  speaker;  it  was  just  the  picture  he  was 
showing";  and  turning  to  us  he  said,  "  That  is  the  way 
to  work  for  Christ."  He  must  increase,  but  we  must  be 
out  of  sight. — Bonar. 

It  sometimes  seems  hard  to  find  out  any  reason  for 
God's  dealings  with  His  children.  We  may  not  be  able 
to  find  out  what  it  is,  and  think  that  perhaps  it  is  be- 
cause of  some  undiscovered  sin;  but  I  don't  think  God 


GEMS  FROM  NORTHFIELD.  1 23 

often  acts  in  that  way.  He  generally  likes  to  let  His 
people  know  their  faults,  when  He  chastises  them.  You 
remember  when  Absalom  could  not  get  Joab  to  come 
and  talk  with  him,  he  burnt  up  his  corn-fields,  and  then 
he  came.  Now,  the  Lord  often  sends  sore  afflictions 
upon  His  children  in  order  that  they  may  come  and  talk 
with  Him  more.  You  know  Christ  took  away  Lazarus 
in  order  that  the  sisters  might  send  for  Him,  and  that 
the  people  through  all  ages  might  get  a  wondrous  dis- 
covery of  Him  as  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  And 
you  remember  how  John  the  Baptist  was  taken  away 
from  his  disciples  in  order  that  they  might  rather  go  to 
Christ.— Bonar. 

A  great  many  object  to  the  noise  of  revivals— the 
unhealthy  excitement.  Why,  there  is  more  excitement 
in  a  race-course  in  one  day  than  you  will  see  in  a  church 
in  fifty  days.  Get  into  a  political  campaign,  and  you 
will  see  more  excitement  than  in  a  hundred  religious 
meetings.  "Undue  excitement!"  they  say.  "Some 
people  will  get  out  of  their  minds."  The  fact  is,  the 
world  is  out  of  its  mind,  anyway.  Again,  some  ob- 
ject to  revivals  because,  they  say,  they  are  "  not  in  the 
regular  order."  Remember  that  it  was  church  dignity 
that  crucified  Christ.  The  Sanhedrim  were  very  careful 
of  church  dignity,  and  so  they  had  to  put  Christ  out  of 
the  way.  He  didn't  come  in  the  "  regular  "  order.  You 
never  find  a  single  prophet  that  comes  in  the  regular 
line.  God  will  always  work  in  His  own  way.  He  will 
mark  out  channels  for  Himself.  We  need  to  learn  this 
lesson,  and  just  stand  aside  and  let  Him  work— work  as 
He  pleases.— Moody. 

Whenever  we  see  troubles  in  congregations,  it  is  a 
sign  that  those  congregations  have  not  been  doing  their 
full  duty  in  presenting  Christ  to  a  lost  world.     I  will 


124  D.   L.   MOODY  AT  HOME. 

not  say  without  exception,  but  as  a  rule,  the  troubles 
are  not  found  in  congregations  that  are  busy  with  revival 
work.  They  get  so  busy  in  the  work  of  God  that  they 
give  no  more  attention  than  is  needful  to  minor  matters, 
and  everything  goes  on  harmoniously. — Bonar. 

Revival  work  must  come  home  to  the  individual  be- 
liever. I  suppose  .you  have  read  of  the  rain-tree  in 
Mexico.  It  is  a  very  remarkable  tree.  Travellers  tell 
us  about  it.  It  grows  to  a  height  of  sixty  feet,  and  it 
will  be,  perhaps,  about  three  feet  in  diameter  at  the  root. 
Well,  that  tree  has  a  singular  quality.  It  imbibes  and 
condenses  moisture  from  the  atmosphere  as  no  other 
tree  does.  On  that  account  it  is  called  the  rain-tree. 
Generally  the  bark  of  the  .tree  is  dripping  wet.  It  is 
very  remarkable  that  this  rain-tree  not  only  takes  in 
moisture  in  the  damp  season;  but  in  the  midst  of  sum- 
mer, when  the  rivers  run  low,  and  the  brooks  round 
about  are  nearly  dry,  then  it  is  that  it  imbibes  the  most 
moisture,  and  is  dripping  the  most  with  it.  So  you  see 
we  have  here  a  picture  for  believers.  You  may  be  la- 
menting the  want  of  life  in  your  congregation  or  neigh- 
borhood. Will  you  be  a  rain-tree?  Will  you  imbibe 
moisture  ?  The  Holy  Spirit  through  the  Word  is  giving 
it  to  you.  Will  you  take  it  in  ?  The  drier  others  are 
around  you,  will  you  take  in  the  more  for  their  sake  ? 
But  another  thing.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  see  a  dozen 
rain-trees  together.  If  we  had  that  in  every  neighbor- 
hood, if  those  trees  would  pour  out  their  streams  to- 
gether upon  this  country,  we  would  soon  see  an  altered 
country-side. — :Bonar. 

The  father's  and  mother's  example  has  a  very  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  whole  tone  of  the  family ;  so  much 
so,  that  I  think  before  there  can  be  a  blessing  in  the 
family  upon  the  children,  we  may  lay  it  down  as  essen- 


GEMS  FROM  NORTttFIELD.  12  J 

tial  that  the  parents  be  cheerful  and  happy  people.  It 
is  the  duty  of  the  parents  to  be  cheerful  and  happy — to 
let  the  children  see  what  they  have  got  that  carries  them 
through  all  the  cares  and  difficulties  of  life.  Let  the 
children  see  this  without  their  being  told  it. — Bonar. 

To  parents  let  me  say  that  you  are  to  be  all  along  ex- 
pecting the  conversion  of  your  children  from  their  very 
earliest  years.  I  believe  in  early  conversion.  I  cannot 
tell  how  soon  it  may  appear.  I  think  there  are  conver- 
sions from  the  womb.  Indeed,  we  have  one  instance  of 
this  in  the  case  of  John  the  Baptist  But  we  are  to  do 
our  part.  We  are  to  let  our  children  see  Christ  reflected 
in  us,  and  lead  them  to  love  Him.  Parents,  would  it 
not  be  a  dreadful  thing  if  you  should  be  taken  away  and 
leave  behind  you  children  who  cannot  tell  whither  you 
have  gone  ?  You  don't  live  a  happy  Christian  life.  You 
don't  fill  your  household  with  the  light  of  rejoicing. 
And  when  you  are  gone — oh,  they  like  to  think  you  are 
in  Heaven;  but  you  can  make  it  unmistakably  sure  that 
you  are.  If  you  can  do  that,  you  may  expect  that  they 
will  all  meet  you  there. — Bonar. 

The  accidental  miracles  of  our  Lord  are  among  the 
most  remarkable — those  that,  as  it  were,  He  spilled  over 
by  the  way.  While  He  was  on  His  way  to  do  one  mira- 
cle He  dropped  another,  almost  as  if  He  didn't  intend 
it.  He  was  going  to  heal  the  daughter  of  Jairus,  when 
the  woman  with  an  issue  of  blood  reached  out  her  hand, 
touched  the  hem  of  His  garment,  and  was  healed.  When 
an  electric  jar  is  filled,  only  a  touch  will  unload  it.  So 
it  might  be  in  the  experience  of  every  believer.  I  think 
I  know  some  Christians  who  have  done  good  without 
knowing  it — without  intending  it.  I  don't  know  but 
that,  if  we  were  fully  the  Lord's,  the  greater  part  of  the 


126  D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME. 

good  we  did  would  be  that  of  which  we  were  not  cogni- 
zant.    Service  would  overflow  from  us. — Gordon. 

The  first  thing  said  of  the  disciples  after  Pentecost 
was  that  they  were  "  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  When- 
ever there  was  anything  important  to  be  done,  it  says, 
for  example,  "Paul,  being  filled  with  the  Spirit,"  spake 
thus;  "Peter,  being  filled  with  the  Spirit,"  did  this.  It 
was  characteristic  of  the  Apostolic  Church  that  they 
were  men  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Is  that  our  privilege  ? 
It  is  not  only  our  privilege;  it  is  our  duty.  "Be  filled 
with  the  Spirit "  is  a  command.  "  Be  not  drunken  with 
wine,  wherein  is  excess;  but  be  filled  with  the  Spirit, 
speaking  unto  one  another  in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and  spir- 
itual songs."  If  a  man  is  drunk  with  wine,  he  will  speak 
out.  He  won't  have  to  be  educated  before  he  will  let 
loose  his  tongue.  If  a  man  is  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
he  won't  have  to  learn  much  before  he  can  deliver  his 
message — it  will  come  spontaneously.  In  Germany  a 
man  was  once  so  holy  that  the  neighbors  called  him  the 
"  God-ixtoxicated  man."  We  want  a  God-intoxicated 
Church. — Gordon. 

I  wonder  how  many  have  read  the  life  of  James  Brain- 
erd  Taylor.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  and  only 
twenty-eight  when  he  died;  yet  he  did  a  work  that  any 
man  might  envy.  He  got  hold  of  the  idea  that  there 
was  something  in  this  doctrine  of  the  enduement  of  the 
Spirit.  Studying  the  subject,  he  became  perfectly  sure 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  might  come  upon  him  as  upon  the 
disciples.  So  he  prayed,  and  his  prayers  were  answered. 
Whenever  he  went  out  he  stirred  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  Sinners  used  to  fall  before  his  preaching  as 
grass  before  the  scythe.  He  couldn't  help  speaking  to 
men,  and  his  words  were  mighty.  One  day  he  was  out 
driving,  and  he  drew  his  horse  up  to  a  watering-trough. 


GEMS  FROM  NORTHFIELD.  1 27 

It  so  happened  that  another  young  man  was  doing  the 
same  thing.  While  the  two  horses'  heads  met  in  the 
trough,  he  turned  to  the  young  man  and  said:  "I  hope 
you  love  the  Lord.  If  you  don't,  I  want  to  commend 
Him  to  you  as  your  best  friend.  Seek  Him  with  all  your 
heart."  That  was  all;  they  turned  and  went  their  ways. 
But  what  was  the  result  ?  The  young  man  thus  spoken 
to  was  converted,  was  educated  for  the  ministry,  and 
went  as  a  missionary  to  Africa. — Gordon. 

"  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty." 
Some  people  think  that  means  liberty  for  them  to  do 
just  about  as  they  please.  The  real  meaning  is  very 
different.  The  Spirit  is  to  do  just  as  He  pleases.  I 
never  shall  forget  how  I  was  startled  when  a  young 
man — a  stranger,  but  a  very  good  Christian  man — asked 
me  this  question:  "Do  you  always  have  a  programme 
made  out  for  the  Holy  Ghost  in  your  church  ? "  That 
was  all  he  asked;  but  it  stuck  to  me.  Everything  was 
fixed  very  exactly — a  voluntary  here,  a  response  here, 
a  sermon  here,  and  so  on — all  fixed  from  beginning  to 
end.  I  don't  think  the  Spirit  of  God  has  anything  to 
do  with  that.  Let  us  have  more  liberty.  It  is  the  lack 
of  this  liberty  that  causes  so  much  deadness  in  the  pul- 
pit, and  deadness  in  the  pew.  Oh,  for  the  liberty  of  the 
Spirit ! — Gordon. 

When  the  people  of  a  church  become  thoroughly 
consecrated,  a  revival  is  sure  to  follow.  Once  the  great 
Athenian  General,  Themistocles,  was  about  to  fight  a 
naval  battle.  All  were  ready  when  the  sun  rose,  but 
the  order  to  advance  did  not  come.  Hour  after  hour 
passed — no  command  to  advance.  Some  of  the  officers 
murmured,  saying:  "  Is  Themistocles  afraid  ? "  "  Is  he  a 
traitor  ?  or  is  he  going  to  fight  that  battle  ? "  But  The- 
mistocles knew  what  he  was  about.     According  to  the 


12$  D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME. 

geography  of  that  country,  at  nine  o'clock  a  land-breeze 
sweeps  down  from  the  mountain.  He  thought:  "  Now 
if  I  wait  till  nine  o'clock,  instead  of  having  half  of  my 
men  at  the  oars  and  the  other  half  at  the  spears,  I  can 
let  the  wind  do  the  business."  So  he  waited;  the  wind 
filled  the  sails;  and  he  won  the  battle,  because  every 
man  was  a  warrior.  In  our  churches  there  are  too  many 
men  at  the  oars.  There  is  a  committee  on  music — three 
or  four  men  to  attend  to  the  music,  and  that  is  all  they 
have  to  do  year  in  and  year  out.  Then  we  have  a  com- 
mittee on  credentials,  and  a  committee  on  finance,  and 
a  committee  to  attend  to  the  social  wants  of  the  young 
people.  Thus  our  churches  are  all  divided  up  into  com- 
mittees, so  that  when  we  come  to  the  great  work  to  be 
done — the  conversion  of  souls — our  men  are  all  engaged 
at  the  oars.  Oh,  that  we  might  understand  that  it  is 
possible  to  have  this  heavenly  breeze,  to  fill  our  sails, 
and  release  us  from  the  oars.  Let  our  motto  be,  "  Every 
man  a  warrior  !  " — Gordon. 

I  believe  a  man  who  is  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will 
have  liberty.  What  we  want  in  our  churches  more  than 
anything  else  is  this  liberty.  Why,  look  at  the  stiffness 
in  most  of  our  churches.  Put  a  man  in  an  audience 
where  men  and  women  are  going  to  criticise,  and  he 
won't  have  much  liberty — much  freedom.  In  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  how  many  do  you  suppose  criticised  ?  I 
don't  believe  Peter  would  have  preached  near  as  well  as 
he  did  if  people  had  been  criticising  him.  But  while 
he  was  preaching  the  people  were  listening  in  a  proper 
frame  of  mind,  and  they  helped  him  right  on.  He  just 
had  liberty  that  day — great  liberty.  When  you  see  a 
minister  in  the  pulpit  who  doesn't  have  liberty,  pray  for 
him.  You  will  find  he  will  get  on  much  better  than  if 
you  were  to  sit  there  and  criticise  him.     When  a  man 


GEMS  FROM   NORTHFIELD.  1 29 

has  the  Spirit  in  him,  he  will  have  liberty.  It  won't  be 
hard  for  him  to  speak  and  testify.  There's  many  a  man 
toiling  hard  in  the  pulpit,  with  no  liberty— bound  hand 
and  foot.  Oh,  my  friends,  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is,  there  will  be  liberty. — Moody. 

You  may  be  as  dry  as  Gideon's  fleece— all  dried  up— 
no  power  at  all;  but  it  is  the  privilege  of  each  one  of 
us  to  have  the  dew  of  Heaven  resting  upon  us  all  the 
while.  That  is  what  God  wants.  Are  you  thirsty  ?  I 
sometimes  wish  we  had  in  every  church  a  meeting  for 
hungry  and  thirsty  Christians.  I  would  put  a  man  at 
the  door  so  as  not  to  let  any  one  else  in.  Let  him  ask 
every  one:  "  Are  you  hungry  ?  Are  you  thirsty  ? "  They 
wouldn't  know  what  you  meant,  some  of  them.  Lots  of 
people  go  to  prayer-meeting  because  it  is  customary. 
They  go  year  after  year — go  for  nothing,  and  get  noth- 
ing. They  are  not  in  earnest  about  anything.  Now,  it 
seems  to  me  that  if  we  t:ould  have  a  meeting  in  all  our 
churches  of  two,  three,  four,  or  five  Christians,  dead  in 
earnest— wanting  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  power 
of  God  resting  upon  them — there  would  be  a  wonderful 
difference.  If  they  were  really  in  earnest  in  asking  for 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  would  get  it.— Moody. 

I  have  heard  a  great  many  people  say  we  should 
empty  our  hearts  so  as  to  let  the  Holy  Spirit  come  in. 
Well;  I  know  I  can't  empty  my  heart.  I  can't  get  pride 
out  of  my  heart.  I  can't  get  jealousy  out  of  my  heart. 
I  wish  I  could.  I  haven't  got  the  power.  But  if  a  man 
desires  above  everything  else  that  he  may  grow  smaller 
and  smaller  as  John  the  Baptist  did— if  it  is  his  desire 
that  he  shall  decrease  and  Christ  increase;  then  I  be- 
lieve the  Lord  will  pour  the  water  down  so  that  it  will 
crowd  out  those  things.  Sometimes  in  trying  to  make  a 
pump  work  I  used  to  see  if  I  could  pump  all  the  air  out 


130  D.    L.    MOODY   AT   HOME. 

so  as  to  get  all  the  water  up.  After  trying  a  while 
that  way,  I  would  get  some  water  and  pour  it  in  from 
the  top,  and  that  would  crowd  the  air  out.  When  a 
man  finds  that  he  can't  empty  his  heart,  what  he  wants 
is  just  to  let  the  water  in  from  above.  Get  under  the 
fountain. — Moody. 

Elijah  says  to  Elisha :  "  Is  there  anything  you  want  ? 
Don't  be  afraid  to  ask.  You  seem  to  be  very  timid." 
Elisha  says:  "Yes;  there  is  something  I  want."  "Well; 
don't  be  afraid  to  ask.  You  shall  have  whatever  you 
want."  A  blank  check  !  Well ;  what  did  he  ask  ?  Did 
he  ask  for  as  much  of  the  Spirit  as  Elijah  had?  That 
would  have  been  a  great  thing.  Talk  about  kings ! 
Elijah  had  power  over  kings.  Kings  are  in  the  habit  of 
ordering  their  subjects  around.  Here  was  a  subject 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  ordering  kings  around.  Talk 
about  the  power  of  Caesar,  Napoleon,  Alexander — the 
great  generals  and  warriors  of  this  earth.  Why,  it  is 
nothing  to  the  power  of  the  man  who  is  in  communion 
with  God.  Elisha  isn't  going  to  ask  for  a  small  thing. 
He  says:  "  I  want  a  double  portion  of  thy  spirit."  I  can 
see  Elijah  turn  round  to  him  in  surprise,  and  say:  "You 
have  asked  me  a  hard  thing."  But  he  says :  "  If  you 
see  me  when  I  am  taken  from  you,  you  shall  have  it." 
"  Then,"  says  Elisha,  "  you'll  not  get  away  without  my 
seeing  you."  He  wanted  a  double  portion  of  Elijah's 
spirit,  and  he  was  determined  to  get  it.  So  he  took 
good  care  to  see  him  in  the  chariot,  and  he  did  see  him. 
Elisha  performed  just  twice  the  number  of  miracles  that 
Elijah  did.  Jesus  Christ  has  come  down  from  Heaven 
since  then,  and  is  it  so  wonderful  to  ask  for  the  influence 
of  the  Spirit  ?  We  ought  to  have  a  hundred  times  more 
power  than  Elijah  and  Elisha  had. — Moody. 


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HELPS    IN    BIBLE    STUDY. 

Current  Discussions  In  Theology.  By  the  Professors  of  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary.  Vol.  I,  cloth,  i2mo,  248  pp.,  $1.00.  Vol. 
II,  328  pp.,  cloth,  $1.50.     Vol.  Ill,  360  pp.,  $1.50. 

There  is  nothing  in  our  language  of  this  kind.  The  American 
student  has  had  to  choose  between  the  exhaustive  and  unremitting 
labors  which  are  the  price  of  first-hand  knowledge,  and  reviews 
which  rarely  fail  of  being  colored  with  partiality  or  prejudice.  The 
volume  before  us  is  a  helpful,  fair  and  trustwerthy  statement  of  the 
present  position  and  recent  movements  of  theology.— The  Independ- 
ent. 

It  may  be  safely  said  that  from  no  one  book  in  the  English  lan- 
guage can  ministers  gather  so  much  recent  information  concerning 
the  topics  treated.— Presbyterian  Witness. 

A  New  Catechism.  By  Rev.  J.  T.  Hyde.  A  manual  of  instruction 
for  students  and  other  thoughtful  inquirers.    Cloth,  i2mo,  $1.00. 

Short  Talks  to  Young  Christians  on  the  Evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity. By  Rev.  C.  O.  Brown.  Cloth,  neat,  168  pp.,  50  cents; 
paper,  30  cents. 

Books  that  are  really  useful  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity  could 
almost  be  counted  on  one's  fingers.  One  which  is  singled  out  from  a 
host  of  others  by  its  plain  straight-forward  sense  is  Short  Talks  to 
Young  Christians  on  the  Evidences,  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Brown.  This  little 
work  is  systematic  without  being  technical,  chatty  without  being 
needlessly  diffuse,  and  it  is  written  in  a  style  suitable  for  the  reading 
of  elder  youth.— Sunday  School  Times. 

Practical  and  helpful,  iust  the  thing  to  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
recent  convert.    They  will  richly  repay  perusal.— Interior. 

The  Life  of  Christ.  By  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.  A  new  edi- 
tion. Introduction  by  Rev.  George  C.  Lorimer,  D.  D.  166 
pp.,  neat,  cloth,  60  cents. 

This  work  is  in  truth  a  "MultuminParvo,"  containing  within  small 
compass  a  vast  amount  of  most  helpful  teaching,  so  admirably 
arranged  that  the  reader  gathers  with  remarkable  deflniteness  the 
whole  revealed  record  of  the  lif  e-work  of  our  Lord  in  a  nutshell  of 
space  and  with  a  minimum  of  study. 

Christ  and  the  Scriptures.  By  Rev.  Adolph  Saphir.  Cloth, 
l6mo,  neat,  75  cents. 

To  all  disciples  of  Jesus  this  work  commends  itself  at  once  by  its 
grasp  of  truth,  its  insight,  the  life  in  it,  and  its  spiritual  force.— Chris- 
tian Work. 

In  these  days  of  doubt  and  hypercriticism  such  a  volume  breath- 
ing a  spirit  of  earnest  devotion,  lifting  the  mind  to  a  better  concep- 
tion of  the  immeasurable  worth  of  the  Person  and  the  Word,  and 
written  too,  by  a  son  of  Israel,  cannot  but  be  welcome  and  helpful. 

Clifton  Springs  Bible  Readings.  Containing  the  Bible  Reading, 
and  addresses  given  at  the  Conference  of  Believers  at  Clifton 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  by  Messrs.  Brookes,  Erdman.  Whittle,  Needham, 
Parsons,  Clark,  Marvin  and  others.  Square  i6mo,  144  pp.,  cloth, 
fine,  50  cents;  paper  covers,  25  cents. 


FIT     T>  rvrT  T      Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 
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HELPS    IN    CHRISTIAN    WORK. 

Children's  Meetings  and  How  to  Conduct  Them.  By  Lucy 
J.  Rider  and  Nellie  M.  Carman.  Introduction  by  Rev.  J.  H. 
Vincent,  D.  D.  Contains  contributions  from  over  forty  well- 
known  workers  among  children,  and  gives  the  cream  of  their 
experience.  The  outline  lessons  (over  sixty  in  number)  diagrams, 
and  music  will  especially  commend  it  to  the  thoughtful  teacher. 
208  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00  net. 

The  volume  will  be  heartily  welcomed  by  many  having  this  most 
important  part  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the  young  in  hand.— 
Zion's  Herald. 

Secret  Power ;  or,  the  Secret  of  Success  in  Christian  Life  and  Chris- 
tian Work.  By  D.  L.  Moody.  Fifty-fifth  thousand.  i2mo  vol- 
ume, 116  pp.,  rich  gilt  and  black  stamp,  cloth,  60  cents;  cheap 
edition,  paper  cover,  30  cents. 

Every  page  is  full  of  stimulating  thought  for  Christian  workers.— 
Christian  Commonwealth. 

It  is  a  good  statement  of  the  secret  of  success  in  Christian  Life,  by 
one  who  has  some  claim  to  speak  on  such  a  theme.— The  Outlook. 

This  series  of  earnest  and  solemn  addresses  bear  throughout  that 
stamp  of  honest,  eager  earnestness,  which  is  so  striking  a  character- 
istic of  the  writer's  labors  as  a  preacher.— Clerical  World. 

Thus  Saith  the  Lord.  Compiled  by  Major  D.  W.  Whittle.  134 
pp.,  cloth,  flexible,  50  cents. 

This  little  work  is  a  hand-book  for  the  Christian  worker — a 
manual  of  texts  collected  upon  the  leading  subjects  necessarily 
treated  in  evangelistic  and  other  Christian  efforts,  especially  in 
personal  work. 

How  to  Conduct  Inquiry  Meetings.  By  D.  L.  Moody,  and 
The  Use  of  the  Bible  in  Inquiry  Meetings.   By  D.   W. 

Whittle.     40  pages  and  cover.     Price  15  cents. 

The  Work  of  Preaching  Christ.  By  Bishop  Charles  Pettitt 
McIlvaine.  A  revised  edition  of  an  important  little  work. 
Paper  covers,  15  cents. 

The  Prayer  Meeting  and  Its  Improvement.  By  Rev.  Lewis 
O.  Thompson,  with  introduction  by  Rev.  A.  E.  Kittredge,  D. 
D.     Sixth  edition,  revised.     i2mo,  256  pp.,  $1.25. 

A  valuable,  because  a  very  suggestive  book.— S.  S.  Times. 

*  *  *  This  is  so  good  a  book  that  we  wish  we  could  afford  to  give 
a  copy  of  it  to  every  young  minister.  Revive  your  prayer  meetings 
and  the  churches  will  be  revived.  Mr.  Thompson  says  some  capital 
things  in  a  telling  manner,  and,  as  his  pages  are  full  of  Are  and  gun- 
powder, we  hope  certain  old,  worn-out  things  among  us  will  be 
exploded,  and  good  things  set  on  fire.  A  brother  who  has  this  book 
handy  will  be  nelped  to  lead  lively  meetings,  conducting  them  in 
varied  ways,  and  expatiating  on  different  topics,  so  as  to  keep  up 
freshness  and  avoid  monotony  and  dullness.— C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Revivals;  Their  Place  and  Power.  By  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D. 
D.     Cloth,  flexible,  25  cents. 

An  admirable  discussion  of  the  subject.— Interior, 

We  know  of  no  publication  that  covers  the  ground  so  briefly  and 

satisfactorily.—  Baltimore  Presbyterian. 

Dr.  Johnson's  experience  has  qualified  him  to  speak  upon  this 

subject.—  Indepenc  lent. 

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•    -"■•    JVU.Vil.J-.lj,   Nkw  York:  148  and  150  Nassau  Street. 


HELPS    IN    CHRISTIAN    WORK. 

To  the  Work!    To  the  Work!    By  D.  L.  Moody.     Exhortations  to 
Christians.     Paper  covers,  30  cents;  cloth,  gilt  dies,  60  cents. 

This  new  work  by  Mr.  Moody  is  in  the  line  of  his  most  successful 
efforts,  that  of  stirring  Christians  to  active,  personal,  aggressive  work 
for  the  Master.  Mr.  Moody  has  frequently  been  heard  to  say  that  it 
was  much  better  to  set  100  men  to  work  than  to  do  the  work  of  100 
men.  This  little  volume  will,  we  confidently  believe,  be  a  means  of 
inspiring  not  hundreds  but  thousands  to  more  efficient  effort  in  Chris- 
tian life. 


HELPS    FOR    ENQUIRERS. 


Life,  Warfare  and  Victory.  By  Maj.  D.  W.  Whittle.  124  pp., 
cloth,  neat,  60  cents;  paper,  30  cents. 

This  book  has  been  prepared  in  the  midst  of  evangelistic  work,  to 
meet  the  wish  often  expressed  to  the  writer— that  instruction  given 
in  Bible  readings  to  young  converts  might  be  made  available 
for  their  more  careful  study  and  permanent  use.— Extract  from 
Preface. 

The  Way  to  Cod  and  How  to  Find  It.  By  D.  L.Moody.  Fifty- 
fifth  thousand.  A  book  for  the  inquirer  and  Christian  worker. 
Cloth,  rich  black  and  gold  stamp,  60  cents;  paper,  tinted  covers, 
30  cents. 

"Very  earnest  and  powerful,  abounding  in  apt  illustrations,  striking 
thoughts,  and  helpful,  encouraging  words.  This  book  is  written  in 
the  same  plain,  simple  and  pointed  style  that  lends  such  force  to  his 
spoken  words.  The  volume  should  find  many  readers.  Those  that 
buyit  will  not  be  disappointed.— Baptist  National. 

The  way  of  salvation  is  made  as  clear  as  simple  language  and  forci- 
ble, pertinent  illustration  can  make  it.  In  two  features  it  is  equal  to 
anything  that  Mr.  Moody  has  produced— in  close  adherence  to  the 
Word  of  God,  and  in  profound  earnestness— while  in  simplicity, 
directness  of  appeal  and  originality  it  is  superior.  It  is  a  great  matter 
to  send  such  a  work,  so  full  of  Christ,  all  over  the  churches,  where  it 
may,  by  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  arrest  the  careless  and  move  the  un- 
godly.—Lutheran  Observer. 

The  Way  and  the  Word.  By  D.  L.  Moody.  Forty-fifth  thousand. 
Paper,  15  cents;  cloth,  25  cents. 

This  little  work  contains  a  very  clear  statement  on  the  important 
subject  Regeneration,  to  which  is  added  Mr,  Moody's  valuable 
hints  on  Bible  reading.  Mr.  Moody  has  used  this  book  by  the 
thousand,  placing  them  in  the  hands  of  young  converts  at  the  close 
of  his  meetings. 

Grace  and  Truth  Under  Twelve  Different  Aspects.    By  W. 

P.  Mackay,  M.  A.  Forty-eighth  thousand  of  American  edition. 
The  English  edition  has  reached  a  sale  of  over  two  hundred 
thousand,  besides  being  translated  into  German,  Spanish,  Swed- 
ish, Arabic,  Italian,  Dutch,  Gaelic  and  Welsh.  i2mo,  282  pp., 
paper,  35  cents;  cloth,  fine,  75  cents. 

Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  says  of  this  work :  I  know  of  no  book  in  print 
better  adapted  to  aid  in  the  work  of  him  who  would  be  a  winner  of 
souls,  or  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  unconverted. 

FTT     "RttVTTT  T      Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 


HELPS    FOR    ENQUIRERS. 

My  Inquiry  Meeting;  or,  Plain  Truths  for  Anxious  Souls.  By  Rob 
ert  Boyd,  D.  D.  Being  the  experience  of  a  pastor  during  man- 
years  of  personal  dealing  with  anxious  and  careless  souls.  64  pp 
15  cents. 

For  simplicity,  clearness  and,  force  of  statement,  we  have  met 
with  nothing  that  equals  this  little  volume.  We  can  think  of  no  bet- 
ter service  a  pastor  could  render  to  Sunday-school  teachers,  and 
other  guides  of  souls,  than  to  secure  their  reading  of  these  pages. 
Nor  cculd  inquirers  have  any  better  help  in  their  search  for  truth.— 
The  Interior. 

Glad  Tidings.  By  Robert  Boyd,  D.  D.  A  book  for  inquirers. 
i2mo,  100  pp.,  cloth,  neat,  50  cents;  cheap  edition,  for  circula- 
tion, 25  cents. 

This  book  has  been  used  largely  in  connection  with  the  great 
revival  meetings  both  in  Great  Britain  and  this  land. 

The  Soul  and  Its  Difficulties.  By  H.  W.  Soltau.  Paper,  108 
pp.,  8  cents. 

HOW  to  be  Saved;  or,  the  Sinner  Directed  to  the  Saviour.  By  J.  H. 
Brookes,  D.  D.     120  pp.,  paper  cover,  25  cents;  cloth,  50  cents. 

Cod's  Way  of  Salvation.  By  Alexander  Marshall.  A  brief 
statement  of  the  Way  of  Life,  with  answers  to  popular  objections. 
Each  brief  page  complete  in  itself,  and  containing  a  sermon  in  a 
nutshell.     48  pages  and  covers,  5  cents.     Per  hundred,  $2.50. 

Doubts  Removed.  By  Cesar  Malan,  D.  D.  Paper  covers,  5 
cents;  per  dozen,  50  cents. 

It  contains  the  clearest  statements  and  illustrations  on  the  subject 
treated  we  have  ever  read. 

Welcome  to  Jesus.  By  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon.  A  series  of  4  page 
tracts,  with  first  page  in  attractive  illuminated  designs,  etc.  Four 
different  series,  each  containing  32  assorted.  Price  per  pack- 
age, 25  cents.     Four  different  packets  issued,  Nos.  1,  2,  3  and  4. 


POPULAR    WORKS    FOR    ALL    CLASSES. 


Prevailing  Prayer:  What  Hinders  It?  By  D.L.Moody.  Cloth 
uniform  with  To  the  Work!  Heaven,  etc.  Cloth,  60 cents;  paper 
covers,  30  cents. 

An  earnest  and  solemn  work,  full  of  helpful  hints  on  the  aids 
and  hindrances  to  prevailing  prayer. 

This  great  subject  has  been  the  theme  of  apostles  and  prophets, 
and  of  all  good  men  in  all  ages  of  the  world ;  and  my  desire  in  sending 
forth  this  little  volume  is  to  encourage  God's  children  to  seek  by 
prayer  "to  move  the  arm  that  moves  the  world."— Extract  from 
Preface. 

Full  Assurance  Of  Faith.  Being  some  Thoughts  on  Christian  Con- 
fidence.    By  D.  L.  Moody.     Paper  Covers,  15  cts.;  cloth,  25cts. 


FTJ     T3  ttvitt  t      Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 
•    **•    XUfcVJtlili,    Nbw  y0BK.  U8  and  150  NagBau  Street 


POPULAR  WORKS  FOR  ALL  CLASSES. 

Heaven;  Where  It  Is;  Its  Inhabitants;  and  How  to  Get  There.  By  D. 
L.  Moody.  Eighty-eighth  thousand.  Tinted  covers,  30  cents; 
cloth,  60  cents. 

While  adapted  to  the  humble  capacity,  it  will  command  the  atten- 
tion of  the  mature  and  thoughtf  ul.— National  Presbyterian. 

Mr.  Moody's  unfaltering  faith  and  rugged  enthusiasm  are  mani- 
fested on  every  page.— Christian  Advocate. 

Eminently  scriptural,  earnest  and  impressive,  will  be  welcomed  by 
thousands.— Zion's  Herald. 

Characterized  by  his  apt,  homely  illustrations  and  not  a  few  pithy 
anecdotes,  such  as  few  can  equal.— The  Advance. 

Twelve  Select  Sermons.  By  D.  L.  Moody.  110th  thousand. 
This  volume  contains  those  special  sermons,  which  have  appeared 
to  be  most  useiul,  and  under  which  there  have  been  the  greatest 
results.     Paper  covers,  30  cents;  cloth,  neat,  60  cents. 

Carefully  revised  by  Mr.  Moody,  they  present  a  volume  of  choice 
and  striking  addresses,  sure  to  command  a  large  sale. 

With  the  effect  of  these  addresses  when  spoken,  the  whole  land  is 
acquainted,  and  now  that  they  are  written,  they  will  tend  to  keep  in 
force  the  impressions  they  have  already  made.— Methodist. 

Mr.  Moody's  happy  style,  abounding  in  striking  anecdote  and 
illustration,  make  it  a  most  readable  and  convincing  volume.— The 
Watchman. 

Full  of  earnest  enthusiasm  which  characterizes  everything  Mr. 
Moody  does,  and  will  be  read  with  interest.— Detroit  Free  Press. 

Daniel,  the  Prophet.  An  amplification  and  extension  of  Mr.  Moody's 
various  lectures  on  the  Life  of  Daniel.  Paper  covers,  20  cents; 
cloth,  40  cents. 

A  small  book,  but  big  as  regards  the  truth  it  contains.  Every 
worker  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  would  be  helped  by  reading  it.— Bail- 
way  Signal. 

Birth-Day  Memorial  Text-Book.  A  handsome  little  volume  with 
a  short  text  for  every  day  in  the  year,  with  blank  space  opposite 
for  autographs.  Especially  attractive  for  children.  32mo,  cloth, 
black  and  gold  stamp,  25  cents;  per  dozen,  $2.50. 

The  Practice  of  the  Presence  of  Cod.  By  "Brother  Law- 
rence." Being  a  small  collection  of  remarkable  letters  and  con- 
versations of  a  monk.  64  pp.,  241110,  paper  cover,  10  cents  ;  per 
dozen,  75  cents. 

Envelope  Series  of  Tracts.   By  H.  W.  S.,  from  "The  Christian's 
Secret  of  a  Happy  Life,"  comprising  the  following: 
How  to  Enter  into  the  Life.  Faith:  What  it  is. 

Difficulties  Concerning  Consecration.      Is  God  in  Everything? 
Difficulties  Concerning  Guidance.  The  Joy  of  Obedience. 

Difficulties  Concerning  Faith.  Practical  Results. 

Sold  only  in  packets  of  one  dozen  copies.  May  be  had  either 
assorted  or  all  of  the  same  kind.     Price,  per  packet,  20  cents. 

They  will  form  an  excellent  collection  of  tracts  for  distribution 
by  those  who  wish  their  friends  to  share  the  "Life  that  is  hid  with 
Christ." 

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POPULAR    WORKS    FOR    ALL    CLASSES. 

The  Scarlet  Line.  A  most  suggestive  tract  upon  Joshua  II  and  VI, 
showing  the  close  connection  between  the  type  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  Antitype  of  the  New.  36  pp.  and  cover,  5  cents  ; 
per  hundred,  $3.00. 

Words  Of  Worth,  from  the  Chicago  Christian  Convention.     A  verba- 
tim report  of  the  addresses  before  the  Convention  of  October,  1882. 
i2mo,  134  pp.,  paper,  25  cents. 

The  addresses  by  such  men  as  Rev.  Marcus  Rainsf  ord,  Rev.  Charles 
Spurgeon,  Dr.  W.  P.  Mackay,  Rev.  A.  T.  Pierson,  D.  D.  and  others, 
will  be  welcomed  by  many. 

The  Ministry  of  Healing;  or,  Miracles  of  Cure  in  all  Ages.  By 
Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.  D.  Third  edition,  i2mo,  fine  cloth,  250 
pp.,  $1.25. 

Proofs  of  the  practice  of  healing  by  the  prayer  of  faith  gathered 
from  all  ages,  with  well  attested  instances  from  Augustine,  Luther, 
Baxter,  Bengel,  Irving,  Erskine,  Christlieb  and  others. 

The  history  of  the  doctrine  as  held  by  Waldenses,  Moravians, 
Covenanters,  Huguenots,  Friends,  Baptists,  Methodists,  etc.  A  full 
account  of  the  recent  exercise  of  the  ministry  of  healing  through 
faith,  by  Dorothea  Trudell,  Samuel  Zeller,  Pastor  Blumhardt,  Pastor 
Rein,  Pastor  Stockmayer,  Dr.  Cullis,  and  others.  With  all  this  is 
joined  an  extended  examination  of  the  subject  in  the  light  of  Scrip- 
ture, Church  history,  theology  and  experience. 

In  Christ;  or,  The  Believer's  Union  with  His  Lord.  By  Rev.  A.  J. 
Gordon,  D.  D.     i2mo,  fine  cloth,  210  pages,  $1.00. 

We  do  not  remember  since  Thomas  a  Kempis  a  book  so  thoroughly 
imbued  with  great  personal  love  to  Christ.  It  is  evidently  the  happy 
result  of  hours  of  high  communion  with  him.— Boston  Courier. 

The  Two-Fold  Life;  or  Christ's  Work  for  Us,  and  Christ's  Work  in 
Us.  By  Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.  D.  i2mo,  fine  cloth,  285 
pages,  $1.25. 

This  is  a  powerful  and  timely  defence  of  Christian  doctrine,  experi- 
ence and  practice;  of  experience  resulting  from  sound  doctrine,  and 
of  practice  resulting  from  heart-felt  experience.  It  is  not  contro- 
versial, but  a  living  testimony  to  the  renovating  power  of  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints.  *  *  *  Its  perusal  will  amply  repay 
the  reader  who  wishes  to  become  a  full-grown  Christian.— C.  H. 
Spurgeon. 

Grace  and  Glory.  Sermons  for  the  Life  that  Now  Is  and  That  which 
Is  to  Come.     By  Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.  D.     i2mo,  fine  cloth, 

355  Pages>  $l-50- 

Here  we  have  power  without  sensationalism ;  calm  thought,  living 
and  earnest,  expressed  in  forcible  language;  the  doctrine  orthodox, 
evangelical,  practical.  We  shall  be  surprised  if  these  discourses  are 
not  reprinted  by  an  English  house.— C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Abundant  Grace.  By  W.  P.  Mackay,  M.  A.,  author  of  Grace  and 
Truth.  With  preface  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Brooks,  D.  D.,  and  brief 
biographical  sketch  of  the  late  author.  250  pages,  fine  beveled 
cloth,  $  1. 00. 

The  Holy  Life.  A  book  for  Christians  seeking  the  "  Rest  of  Faith." 
By  Rev.  Evan  H.  Hopkins.  Fifth  thousand.  i8mo,  115  pp., 
cloth,  beveled  edge,  60  cents. 

FTJ     T>  t?t7"i?t  t       Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 
.    n.   JS.iJ.Vh.LI,,  New  Yorx.  148  and  150  Na88au  street. 


POPULAR    WORKS    FOR    ALL    CLASSES. 

The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life.  By  Hannah  Whit- 
all  Smith;  author  of  The  Open  Secret."  Revised  edition  from 
entirely  new  plates.  i2mo,  240  pp.,  paper  50  cents;  cloth,  75 
cents  ;  cloth,  gilt,  $1.00. 

A  book  we  unhesitatingly  recommend.  We  have  not  for  years 
read  a  book  with  more  delight  and  profit.— Southwestern  Christian 
Advocate. 

We  are  delighted  with  the  book.  It  reaches  the  very  core  of 
Christian  experience.— Baptist  Weekly. 

Worthy  of  universal  circulation.— Christian  Union. 

The  Open  Secret.  By  Hannah  Whitall  Smith,  author  of  "Chris- 
tian's Secret  of  a  Happy  Life,"  etc.    320  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00. 

That  the  author  of  this  work  has  a  faculty  of  presenting  the  "Secret 
Things"  that  are  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God  is  apparent  to  all  who 
have  read  the  exceedingly  popular  work  "The  Christian's  Secret  of  a 
Happy  Life,"  and  such  will  not  be  disappointed  in  expecting  to  find 
in  this  new  volume  a  fulless  and  sweetness  in  the  unfolding  of  God's 
Word,  in  its  application  to  the  practical  daily  duties  of  christian  living. 

Walking  Worthy  of  Cod.  A  reprint  from  the  works  of  Rev.  John 
Flavell,  with  an  introduction  by  (and  published  at  the  request 
of)  Maj.  D.  W.  Whittle.  A  valuable  book  for  circulation — an 
incentive  to  Christian  living.     Square,  i6mo,  43  pp.,  15  cents. 

Gems  from  Northfield.  A  Record  of  the  best  thoughts  exchanged 
at  the  Conference  for  Bible  study,  convened  at  Northfield,  by  D. 
L.  Moody.     i2mo,  116  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00. 

The  thoughts  and  expositions  of  Scripture  which  are  presented  in 
this  volume  are  of  rare  practical  value.— Herald  and  Presbyter. 

Recollections  of  Henry  Moorehouse,  Evangelist.    By  George 

C.  Needham.     240  pp.,  i5mo,  cloth,  beveled,  $1.00. 

Mr.  Moorehouse,  the  young  English  evangelist,  was  well-known 
throughout  this  country,  and  the  volume  is  the  most  interesting 
biographical  sketch  of  this  remarkable  man — a  real  inspiration. 

Christians  of  every  name  gathered  about  him:  and  ministers  with 
long  years  of  successful  work,  and  young  converts  just  entering  the 
field  alike  sat  at  his  feet  to  study  the  Word,  *  *  *  I  hope  that  the 
story  of  his  life  will  lead  many  who  have  not  come  under  his  per- 
sonal influence  to  e  more  thorough  study  of  God's  word.— D.L.Moody. 

Plain  Talks  About  the  Theatre.    By  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson, 

D.  D.     Fifth  thousand.     84  pp.,  cloth,  50  cents;  paper,  20  cents. 

Probably  the  modern  theatre  never  received  such  a  raking  fire.  - 
Zion'8  Herald. 

As  crushing  as  a  charge  of  cavalry,  and  as  convincing  as  logic  can 
make  truth.    A  terrific  indictment  of  the  theatre—  The  Advance. 

Way  Christian's  Dance?  By  Rev.  J.  H.  Brookes, D.  D.  144pp., 
i6mo.,  cloth,  50  cents;  paper  covers,  25  cents. 

An  able  and  wholesome  consideration  of  the  question  from  a 
Christian  point  of  view.— Zion's  Herald. 


Ft!     T>  -wfUTrt  T      Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 
•     **•    J^-lfiVJtlyli,    N,w  yOEK.  U8  ftnd  150  Naggau  gtrett 


POPULAR    WORKS    FOR    ALL    CLASSES. 

Fred's  Dark  Days.  By  Rose  Hartwick  Thorpe.  A  story  of  hero- 
ism in  boyhood,  written  in  an  attractive  style  by  the  author  of 
"Curfew  Must  Not  Ring  To-night,"  and  "The  Yule  Log."  An 
excellent  book  for  the  young.     139  pp.,  cloth,  75  cents. 

Fifty  Years  and  Beyond;  or,  Old  Age  and  How  to  Enjoy  It.  Com- 
piled by  Rev.  S.  G.  Lathrop.  Twenty-fifth  thousand.  One 
large  i2mo  volume,  of  over  400  pages,  $1.00.  Presentation  edi- 
tion, gilt  edges,  $1.50. 

The  object  of  this  volume  is  to  give  to  that  great  army  who  are 
fast  hastening -toward  the  "great  beyond"  some  practical  hints  and 
helps  as  to  the  best  way  to  make  the  most  of  the  remainder  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  to  give  comfort  and  help  as  to  the  life  that  is 
to  come. 

Songs  for  the  Service  of  Prayer.  Compiled  by  R.  S.  Thain, 
assisted  by  A.  E.  Kittredge,  D.  D.,  E.  P.  Goodwin,  D.  D.,  and 
W  M.  Lawrence,  D.  D.  A  book  specially  adapted  for  use  in 
the  social  meetings  of  the  church.  Cloth,  240  pp..  60  cents. 
Special  terms  to  churches  for  introduction. 

Revell's  Record  for  Church  Treasurers.  The  most  convenient 
record  yet  published.  Weekly  envelope  system.  Simple,  prac- 
tical and  systematic.     Bound  in  half  leather,  quarto,  $1.50. 

The  Wlan  Traps  of  the  City.   By  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Green. 

A  book  of  timely  warnings,  where  sin  and  crime  are  shorn  of 
their  mask.  The  life  of  the  profligate  is  not  presented  in  attrac- 
tive colors,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  stand  forth  in  its  true  light— a 
thing  to  be  abhorred. 

140  pages,  cloth,  rich  gold  stamp,  75  cents.  Same  in  illumin- 
ated paper  covers,  35  cents. 

Woman's  Ministry,  and  other  Expository  Addresses.  By  Mrs. 
George  C.  Needham.     137  pp.,  i6mo,  cloth,  75  cents. 

The  first  expository  address  gives  character  to  this  book.  It  is 
literally  an  exposition  bearing  on  the  question  of  woman's  relation 
to  preaching  and  teaching. 

Interesting  and  Instructive  Readings  for  the  Young.    By 

C.  H.  Jones.  Illustrated.  A  collection,  original  and  selected, 
of  Stories  for  Children  and  Youth.  357  pp.,  carmine  cloth,  rich 
gilt  stamp,  $1.00.  This  collection  is  not  only  entertaining,  but  is 
practically  helpful  and  instructive. 


F     H     RFVET  T      Chicago:  143  and  150  Madlgon  Street. 

r.  n.  XS.JJ.VJCLL,  Nbw  Yobk.  U8  and  160  Na„.u\~5;t 


150  Nassau  Street. 

"icT"" 


PREMILLENNIAL    WORKS. 

Pre-Nllllennlal  Essays.  A  series  of  papers  on  prophetical  subjects 
by  eminent  writers.  Edited  by  Nathaniel  West,  D.  D.  Issued 
in  one  large  i2mo  volume  of  500  pages,  $1.50.  Among  the  con- 
tributors to  this  volume  are  are  Rev.  S.  H.  Kellogg,  D.  D.;  Rev. 
A.  S.  Gordon,  D,  D.;  Rev.  H.  M.  Parsons,  D.  D.;  Bishop  Nich- 
olson; Rev.  J.  H.  Biookes,  D.  D.;  Dr.  W.  P.  Mackay,  M.  A. 

Those  who  desire  to  have,  within  the  compass  of  a  single  volume, 
all  that  is  necessary  to  an  intelligent  consideration  of  the  subject, 
will  find  it  here  in  a  very  readable  form.  It  is  certainly  the  ablest 
work  that  has  appeared  on  the  pre-millennlal  side.— Canada  Presby- 
terian. 
%  The  best  treatment  of  this  subl  ect  from  the  pre-millennial  side  that 

has  ever  been  published.— The  Standard. 

Are  Pre- Millennia  lists  Right?  or,  Reasons  for  Believing  in  the 
Pre-Millennial  Advent  of  Christ,  with  a  Brief  Review  of  the 
Objections  of  Dr.  Brown  and  others.  By  S.  H.  Kellogg,  D.  D. 
Paper,  i2mo,  84  pp.,  and  cover,  25  cents. 

Maranatha;  or,  the  Lord  Cometh.  By  Rev.  J.  H.  Brookes,  D.  D. 
445  PP'*>  cloth,  $1.25;  paper,  50  cents. 

Second  Coming  of  Christ.  By  Rev.  J.  H.  Brookes,  D.  D.  Price 
15  cents. 

The  Blessed  Hope;  or,  The  Glorious  Coming  of  the  Lord.  By 
Willis  Lord,  D.  D.  New  and  cheaper  edition.  A  practical 
treatise;  a  volume  well  adapted  to  lead  to  a  more  joyous  Christian 
life.  250  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00.  Cheap  edition,  for  circulation,  paper 
covers,  o»ly  25  cents. 

Second  Coming  of  Christ.  By  George  Muller,  of  Bristol,  Eng. 
A  neat  little  tract  of  32  pages,  suitable  for  circulation.  Per  dozen 
40  cents;  100  copies,  $2.50. 

Jesus  Is  Coming.  By  W.  E.  B.  A  most  popular  hand  book.  Six- 
teenth thousand.  Giving  seven  arguments  in  favor  of  the  pre- 
millennial  coming — stating  the  distinction  between  the  Rapture 
and  the  Revelation,  and  between  the  Church  and  the  Kingdom — 
and  containing  a  diagram,  with  explanations.  New,  enlarged 
edition,  160  pp.,  cloth,  50  cents;  paper  covers,  15  cents. 

Twenty  Reasons  for  Believing  that  the  Second  Coming  of  the 
Lord  is  Near.    34  pp.  and  cover,  neat,  15  cents.    Per  dozen,  $1.00. 

Epiphainia.  A  study  in  Prophecy.  By  E.  J.  Edgren,  Professor  of 
Biblical  Interpretation  in  the  Morgan  Park  Theological  Seminary. 
i6mo,  112  pp.,  cloth,  neat,  75  cents. 

Dr.  Edgren  writes  as  one  who  both  loves  and  reveres  the  Sacred 
Word.  He  has  altogether  made  a  book  creditable  in  a  literary  not 
less  than  in  an  evangelical  point  of  view.— Chicago  Standard. 

Waiting  for  the  Morning,  and  Other  Poems.  By  the  author  of 
"Twenty  Reasons  for  Believing  the  Coming  of  the  Lord  is  Near." 
Square  i6mo,  54  pp.,  red  line,  cloth,  50  cts.;  paper  covers,  25  cts. 

The  Second  Coming  of  Christ.  By  D.  L.  Moody.  Revised. 
Forty-second  thousand.     32  pp.  and  cover,  10c.    Per  doz.,  $1.00. 

FTJ     T?  TrvTrT  t      Chicago:  148  and  150  Madison  Street. 
•    ■"■•   JViS.YJJ.1-1-.,  nbw  York:  H8  and  160  Nassau  Street 


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